Shadow Of A Former Sun
by ForTheInsomniacs
Summary: A light will shine brightly and illuminate all near it's glow, but when the light goes out, everything falls prey to darkness and Sasuke Uchiha finds himself stuck in the middle of it. In this time of peril, the only hope for salvation lays in the very hands of one who's light had long since began to burn out. Modern AU-fic
1. Behind Closed Doors

ooooo

**Shadow of a Former Sun**

Chapter One

_"Behind Closed Doors"_

* * *

I had always been quite the skeptic when it came to stories about all that supernatural bullshit. I never really believed in any of it even during childhood and always found a logical explanation behind everything despite my young age. I used to blame it on the strict Uchiha upbringing that I had, but when I look back on it, I'm sure it was just me trying to make up for my own lack of imagination. After all, who has time for magic and fairy tales when you have to slave youself to become the best at everything, just so you can gain some sort of recognition from your own father? Especially when you lived in the shadow of your genius elder brother and mind you, that place is incredibly dark.

My older brother is the pride and joy of the family who excels in everything he does with such minimal effort that it is almost unfair. There was never a time where I could walk around the Uchiha complex in peace without at least hearing someone mutter some sort of praise about Itachi and then their question that would silently follow afterwards "But what about Sasuke?"

I'm sure they never meant to upset me with those words or for me to even hear in the first place, but I did hear the pity in their voice and it hurt. Despite that, Itachi never let any of it get to his head and that's precisely the reason why I could never hate my older brother. I looked up to him and his title as the Uchiha prodigy.

Or at least, _he was_.

I remember when it first started. Back in the end of July he came stumbling home late one night, barely able to stand on his own two feet and slurring some sort of nonsense about being attacked by some strange people near the bus depot. I watched the scene unfold from my spot on the living room couch, however there was no such evidence upon him besides disheveled clothing and this odd, crazy look in his eyes. Our father seemed to be oozing disappointment as he shut the front door after Itachi entered the house, before he left the room altogether while our mother had helped Itachi take off his shoes and then sent him to bed. The entire ordeal was far too out of character for him. Seeing him looking like such a mess was so shocking that I couldn't even watch t.v anymore without my mind racing back to him. Hell, I didn't even know that Itachi was a drinker. Mother came back downstairs a few moments later and we both sat on the couch in silence. We didn't even need to speak to know what the other was thinking.

_What happened to Itachi?_

After that night, Itachi's appearance in the house became scarce and he barely left his room, he blatantly ingored Father's demands and he even stopped talking. Father was angry at first, constantly barging into Itachi's bedroom and yelling at him for 'sullying the Uchiha name' by being a shut-in like Uncle Madara, however he stopped almost a week later, right after Itachi just kind of snapped and started throwing fists. Itachi fucking fought our father and the weirdest thing about it? he won. That idea still kind of unnerves me even now and when I look back on it, that's precisely when shit really began to hit the fan. At this point, everyone began to worry about Itachi's sanity.

Mother became depressed and didn't seem as bubbly as she used to be, but she still tries. Father seemed to have disowned Itachi altogether and began to actually treat me as a person for once. I don't like it. I had always wanted my Father's attention and now that I had it, I wanted nothing to do with it. Not like this. Not because Itachi is sick.

Honestly, I just wanted my brother back.

I never really noticed how much I actually depended on him until he was no longer around to give answers to my stupid questions or help me with my homework when I was too afraid to ask our Father to or even when I was just plain lonely and all I would have to do was knock on his bedroom door and he'd greet me with that kind smile of his that seemed to always have to ability to reassure me whenever I was upset.

Well, now it's my turn to be there for him. And that is precisely why I've been standing in front of his bedroom door for this past half hour debating whether or not it was a good idea to tell him that I ordered a late supper from his favorite pizza place with the money our parents left behind while they were gone for the evening.

I haven't seen him in a week, despite living under the same roof and throughout all that time, he has not left his room even once. I was beginning to wonder if he was even alive in there. The thought scared meright to the bone and I couldn't help but bring a fist to the door and give it two tentative knocks.

"Itachi?"

Nothing. Not even a single sound.

"Itachi?", I asked, lifting a shaky hand to the door knob, mentally preparing myself to open it, because only god knew if he was actually alive in there or not. I mean, who knew what happened behind closed doors?

I wasn't prepared for the door to open before I could reach it, albeit only slightly. His room was pitch black inside and he only opened it enough for me to see a fraction of his pale wrist as it was pressed against the door frame. I couldn't see all of him, but I was content with whatever I could salvage from our encounter.

"What do you want?", his voice was airy and quiet. He didn't even sound like the Itachi I knew and to think that only three short weeks ago, he was taking entrance exams for one of the most prestigious schools in the city.

I was surprised he even opened the door in the first place, seeing as he was something like the ghost of Itachi Uchiha for the past few weeks. He was here in flesh, but he was absent in mind and that was not something that I would like to get used to.

"I ordered pizza from that place down the street" I stood there awkwardly for a moment before continuing, "Do you.. want to come downstairs?" I hated how uncertain I sounded and if I could pick it up in my own voice, I was positive that Itachi could pick it up as well.

I shifted nervously when silence hung heavily between us and took a step forward, reaching for the door handle, however I let it fall limp to my side with a frown when I noticed the door quiver slightly. He probably would have slammed the damn thing in my face if I had continued.

"Are.. mother and father home?", he asked quietly and I strained to hear his voice past the sound of a loud vehicle driving by outside from the open window at the end of the hall.

"Gone for the night. They won't be back until tomorrow evening", I lied, finding the question to be kind of odd.

I was a bit hurt when the door closed without another word, but disappointed more than anything. I thought that I'd finally managed to solve a portion of the rubix cube that was Itachi's current personality. I trudged back down the hall and then descended the stairs in a lazy fashion - I was pretty bummed out.

The pizza had arrived exactly an hour ago and there was a high chance that it was probably cold, however I didn't really give a shit at this point and grabbed a slice from the box, gingerly taking a bite and unceremoniously plopping down on the couch. I wasn't really feeling the whole video game vibe anymore, but I felt it was better than dwelling on my earlier conversation with Itachi. If that's what you'd call it.

I wasn't even ten minutes into the gaming when a sudden shift from behind where I sat on the couch had me turning my head. I shrunk into the cushions and seemed to freeze altogether when I was faced with none other than Itachi himself. It scared me. Not because he startled me with his sudden approach after days without contact, but because he was legitimately_ scaring_ me.

Itachi was staring right at me, leaning over the couch slightly with his palms resting on the top of the spot where my head had previously been. All the lights in the house were off, save for the television and the flashing screen did odd things to his appearance; I couldn't help but shift nervously under his gaze.

"At least make some noise when you come into the room", my voice was small and I averted my gaze from his and faced the television once more, though I could still feel his dark eyes on my back. I don't know why I felt scared, but I did. I just didn't know if it was because he kept staring at me or the _way_ he kept staring. I still had to figure that one out.

"Pizza is in the kitchen if you want some. You'll have to heat it up though", I glanced at him from the corner of my eye while restarting to the last checkpoint in the game I was playing. I just wanted him to move or at least do something that didn't make him seem like a fucking psychopath.

Itachi didn't answer me and I continued to play the video game in an attempt to forget his odd behavior and it worked, at least until he stepped over the back of the couch and sat down beside me. I couldn't help but notice how tense he looked from my peripherals and how he seemed to press himself as far away from me as the couch deemed possible.

"What's up with you?", I sighed, pausing the game to look right at him in concern. I wasn't about to pass up the chance to ask.

Itachi stiffened at my question and faced away from my gaze. I took note of his long hair that cascaded over his shoulders and was without his usual hair-tie and his white t-shirt with matching pajama pants that were both far too large for his body. I couldn't help but think that with those white clothes and haunted expression he wore, that he looked like an offering to the dead.

"I'm sick", came the quiet words and I strained to hear them as he slowly continued, "I don't know what's wrong with me", I watched as he lifted his hands, burying his face into his palms before letting his head fall back onto the couch. I wasn't surprised, as I already knew that there was something wrong with him, but I hadn't a clue on what it was.

"how sick are you?", I asked, leaning closer in anticipation, reaching for his shoulder in concern and he removed his hands from his face to look at me with an almost crazed expression that had my hand pausing in mid-air.

Itachi opened his mouth to speak, however two florescent headlights flashed through the window and he whipped his head to the side to glance toward it. I was startled when he suddenly shot up from the couch and turned around to face me.

"You said they weren't coming back", he said calmly, though his steely gaze twisted the words as they escaped his lips into something else that I couldn't quite comprehend. I averted my eyes to the floor, trying to calm my pounding heart and remember that I had no reason to be frightened, that this person in front of me was my older brother. I definitely regretting lying to him.

The front door swung open to reveal our parents, to which froze at the door when they spotted Itachi standing in the living room, before he all but bolted from the room and quickly ascended the stair case. It wasn't until his bedroom door slammed shut that I exhaled a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Sasuke honey, are you okay?", came my mother's voice as she glanced between the direction Itachi disappeared to and where I sat, while father glared up at the general direction of Itachi's bedroom.

I could only nod at my mother's words and exit the living room entirely, forgetting to shut off the television and leaving behind two rather confused parents. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to tell them, as I hadn't the slightest clue on what had just transpired between Itachi and I while they were gone. I made my way up the stairs toward my bedroom, sparing a glance at Itachi's closed door that stood adjacent to my own, before entering my room and closing the door behind me.

I crossed the cold floor with a frown and sat upon the edge of my bed, replaying the image of Itachi's oddly tortured expression from the living room in my head over and over again, but no matter how many times I did, I wasn't able to decipher any of it. The alarm clock flashed '10:42pm' in bold, green font and I ran a hand through the black locks that hung in front of my eyes.

I figured that I may as well sleep off the odd confrontation in the living room and fell back against the mattress without bothering to lay in it properly or pull the covers over myself. The whole conversation with Itachi had emotionally drained me in a way that seemed to get under my skin, or something akin to an itch that you cannot scratch and god it was irritating.

A loud thump from across the hall sounded, followed by light footsteps coming from the stairs to which I could only assume was my mother, "Itachi? Are you alright in there?", she asked as I sat up slightly, using my elbows to support myself while I stared at my closed door, straining to hear what was happening.

A part of me hoped that Itachi would open his door, however I knew that he wouldn't and mother's attempts were in vain. I rolled over onto my stomach with a sigh, but a small knock on my own bedroom door had me turning around once more.

"Sasuke, may I come in?", Mother asked.

I didn't have to answer her for her to know that she was always given free reign of whether or not she can leave or enter my bedroom and it was something that she appreciated, yet also still respected my privacy by asking.

The door opened and she entered the room, gently closing it behind her with a small smile gracing her lips before she made her way to sit down at the edge of my bed. I sat up on my elbows and noted that her brow was slightly furrowed and I knew what she had probably come to speak with me about.

"What did Itachi say to you?", she asked with a serious expression that looked odd when paired with her naturally soft, childish face.

Images of Itachi flashed through my mind at that moment and I resisted the urge to shiver as I pulled the covers over me in deep thought, glancing at my mother who did nothing but patiently wait for my reply.

"He didn't exactly say anything", I mumbled, unable to find any words suitable enough to say.

Mother's features faltered for a moment, before being replaced with her usual smile and she stood from the edge of my bed. I watched her brush off some nonexistent dust from her pearly white apron, "You just looked a little shaken up, that's all", she said as she made her way to the door and bid me a good night.

I fell back against my mattress once the door closed behind her and gazed up at my ceiling, watching the fan silently spinning above my head, "Shaken up? I suppose so", I murmured, climbing beneath the covers, pulling them up to my chin and letting my eyes drift closed.

Tomorrow, I will try to talk to Itachi.

-x-

I awoke to the sound of muttering that seemed to drift in through the cracks of my closed door from across the hall. I often heard Itachi speaking to himself at night and wouldn't pay it any heed, however something felt off. Off enough to wake me from a dead sleep. I slowly removed the covers from my face, blinking away the remnants of slumber from my eyes to focus them in the general direction of my bedroom door which was wide open and I froze.

Itachi stood at the end of my bed, facing the opposite direction and I had to bite the inside of my lip to prevent myself making a single sound. I found it unsettling that I had to remind myself that he was my brother and I had no reason to fear him, but this sudden visit was anything more than welcome. I glanced towards the lamp on my nightstand to my left, noticing that the blue lamp was void of any sign of light. I was positive I had left it on before I had falling asleep.

I shifted in bed, reaching out to turn on the lamp, as Itachi's presence was beginning to freak me out, however a cold hand on my wrist prevented me from doing so, "You can't do that", Itachi said and I shrunk against the mattress, his grip tight as it held me like a vice.

I could barely make out the look of desperation on his face and I tried to search his expression for some sort of explanation, but the odd sense of fear rising from my gut had me averting my gaze and I shifted into a sitting position against the headboard of my bed.

"You're scaring me", I admitted quietly while tugging my wrist against his grip and glancing at the lamp. I didn't want to look at him. Not when he was leaning in that close while wearing an expression that I could only describe as clinically insane.

Itachi released my hand from his grip and clicked his tongue and I couldn't help but stare at him as he opened his mouth to speak. I wrapped the covers around myself when his mouth closed, watching as he abruptly strode to my bedroom door and closed it. Honestly, it was really beginning to creep me out at how secretive he was being, though I refused to show it as he returned to my bed, this time seating himself where Mother had previously been.

I would remain calm and try to figure out what is going on with him, as it was pretty obvious that he had something to say and patience would be the way to go in order to hear it. Even if the circumstance was pretty fucking weird.

Itachi sat silently for a moment, before all but crossing the distance between us and placing two hands on either of my shoulders. The movement was so sudden that I hardly had any time to react or form a single coherent thought before he started speaking.

"Sasuke, I need to ask you something", he said in a serious tone that almost sounded like the brother I knew and all previous uncertainty I had only moments earlier was out the window as I stared back at him with a weary expression.

"Y-yeah, go on", I replied, mentally cursing at myself for stuttering. Well, I guess I can't be blamed, as any one else would have done the same if they were suddenly faced with a predicament like my own.

A hundred different emotions flashed across Itachi's face at that moment and his grip on my shoulders tightened to the point where it was nearly uncomfortable, though I continued to patiently wait for him to speak. I wanted to know. I wanted to know what it was that was haunting him to the point where he would change this drastically.

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I'm sorry.. can you repeat that?", I swore that I had misheard what he had said, but the look in his eyes was so genuine that I had to ask again.

"Do you believe.. in ghosts?", he asked again, though this time his voice was quieter and I could see the hurt swimming beneath his gaze, but I couldn't fathom the entirety of the words that just escaped his lips.

"Are you fucking kidding me?", I couldn't help but be angry and roughly shove his hands away from my shoulders, "This is what has been bothering you? Ghosts?! You had me and mom worried because of _ghosts_!?", I whispered harshly, surprised to find that Itachi only calmly stared back at me, though within the depth of his obsidian gaze swam molten lava that had me stumped for words. I had calmed down some, as I had never been on the receiving end of one of Itachi's signature glares and instead of speaking, I closed my mouth and sighed.

"Sasuke, this is no joke", Itachi said flatly as he stood from my bed and walked over to the bedroom window and opened it, "They're as real as you and I are", he glared outside, eyes focused on whatever he was looking at.

The cold night air drifted inside the room and I shivered once it caressed my skin, pulling the covers tighter around me, I scoffed as I stared at him, "And by they, you mean the ghosts, right?", I was honestly beginning to think that Father had been right all along. Maybe Itachi really did lose his mind like Uncle Madara.

Itachi visibly stiffened as a gust of wind swept inside the room, "No.. maybe they aren't ghosts..", I turned to look at him with a raised brow as the curtains billowed around him, "_Maybe they're demons_".

I frowned as Itachi closed the window and I could only watch as he silently walked towards the door, "Have a good sleep, little brother", he said with a sly smirk, before leaving my room without another word.

At a loss for words, I glanced toward the clock on my nightstand and on it flashed, "3:00Am", I lifted a hand to run it through the front of my hair with an exhausted sigh. I had planned to tell mother about Itachi's visit tonight, but after finally speaking with him, I don't think I can bring myself to tell her the nonsense he had just told me. The last thing she needed was for her youngest to try and calmly explain that her eldest son was definitely sick in the head and had probably lost his mind. I couldn't do that to her.

Itachi's words had plagued me for hours after he left my room and by the time I had realized it, Mother was already knocking on my bedroom door telling me that breakfast was on the table. Mechanically, I got out of bed and opened my door where mother stood with a laundry basket held against her hip.

"Sasuke, you look terrible! Didn't have a very good sleep?", Her reaction was enough to make me guess that I probably looked like the living dead, equipped with a pale complexion and rotting skin. Just kidding.

"I didn't even sleep", I muttered passed her, but not before letting my eyes flicker to Itachi's bedroom door which was-as always-shut.

Itachi's bedroom door was a forbidden monument that one could only look at as it ominously stood in front of you, taunting and eerie as it practically dared you to open the door and peek inside, however you knew that once you did, the monstrous beast inside would surely steal your soul. Definitely an exaggeration, but in a way, it wasn't a lie at all.

Mother followed behind me as I entered the kitchen which was void of anyone else besides her and myself. I'm guessing that Father left for work early and it was honestly a breath of fresh air. Dealing with him in the morning was absolute shit.

"Well, it's Friday", Mother sighed as she began folding the laundry that had been in the basket on the empty side of the table, which was in fact, Itachi's spot, "You can stay home from school today and get some rest", she offered and I was sure in hell going to take it. Bidding her a farewell "Till I rise once more", I made my way upstairs and to my bedroom, where I lulled of into a dreamless sleep.

I don't know how long I slept before I was startled awake by the sound of my bedroom door being opened loudly and when I turned around to face who just entered my room, a large sigh escaped my lips, "Idiot, who even let you in?", I grumbled and placed my pillow over my head angrily.

"Your mom let me in, jerk", Naruto said plainly as he immediately went for the navy blue curtains on the other end of the room, "Damn, at least let some light in. No wonder you're so pale", he stated before opening said curtains and I resisted the urge to knock him upside the head.

"Kakashi-sensei wanted someone to bring your homework that you missed", I sat up in bed as Naruto reached into his backpack to bring out my supposed homework and placed it on my computer desk before promptly taking a seat in the swiveling chair, "Sakura volunteered, but you know, I figured you wouldn't want her here. I also live just a block away, so.."

Honestly, it was times like these where I valued Naruto's friendship. Sure, the idiot was loud and had a bad habit of getting on my nerves, but he genuinely understood me, "Thanks", I mumbled before yawning. I mean, it's not like I hated Sakura, but she was hard to deal with even on good days.

"Sooo..", Naruto began, while spinning in my computer chair, "How have things been with_ you know_?", he asked as he stared at the ceiling, his tone nonchalant, though I knew he was genuinely curious.

I got out of bed and stretched, crossing the room and picking up the homework sheets from the desk, "Why do you ask?", I questioned before returning to sit on the edge of my bed and then began to skim through the work sheets.

I could see Naruto shrug from my peripherals, "'Dunno, you just seem kind of off and when you're like this, it always has something to do with Itachi.. Or so I'm guessing". I lifted my head to raise a brow at him. He's a perceptive little shit, I'll give him that.

"Well, he actually talked to me last night.", I said with a sigh as I flipped over a paper to read the questions on the back.

"No way, really?", Naruto stopped spinning in the computer chair to look at me in surprise, "So, did you figure out what's up?", he asked.

Normally, I wouldn't speak of family matters with anyone, but Naruto was different. We grew up together and despite our arguments, we stuck together so much that we're practically family. I wonder what he'd do if he figured out how sappy I actually was.

"Not at all", I sighed, placing the papers upon the bed and falling back against the mattress, "If anything, I'm even more confused", I mumbled.

Naruto nodded silently for a moment, lifting a wrist to check the time on the watch he wore, "Did he say anything weird?", he questioned as he resumed spinning in the chair and I looked away from him when the spinning began to give me a headache.

"Did he. He kept saying bullshit about ghosts or something", I sat up in bed and went to my closet to find something to wear other than my grey t-shirt and black shorts.

Naruto raised a brow and seemed dumb-founded for a few moments as I passed him, before he swiveled in the chair to face me once more, "Ghosts?", he repeated as though he hadn't heard right.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too", I chuckled lightly before finding some black jeans and a white t shirt and quickly changed into them while thinking back to the previous night.

Naruto shook his head slightly, "It just doesn't make sense.. I mean it would make more sense if he were doing drugs and stuff, right? _Oh god, he's not doing drugs, is he_?", Naruto asked with a look of concern.

"Really Naruto? Itachi would never let himself go that far", I defened my brother's virtue as I pulled on a black button up over my white t-shirt and nodded toward the door, "let's head downstairs", I suggested without really giving the blonde an option.

Naruto followed behind me as I left my bedroom and headed downstairs, but not after saying a quick, "Hi Itachi, Bye Itachi", to the door across the hall and I didn't even attempt to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Hello boys", Mother greeted as she passed by Naruto and myself on the stairs and I nodded in reply, while Naruto smiled, "Hi Mikoto".

-x-

I don't know how long Naruto and I sat around the living room playing video games, but it was actually a breath of fresh air from the dark cloud that seemed to be hanging above the house for the past few months. I'd have to invite him over more often.

"Man, I have to get going soon or else my mom will kick my ass when I get home", Naruto said as he pressed pause on the video game we were currently playing in my living room and I shrugged, knowing that the dobe most likely had other plans, considering every chance he got, he was checking his phone.

"But before I go", Naruto said as he collected his backpack and cellphone from the floor, "I think you should hear Itachi out. You know, take him seriously or something, because there is no way in hell a guy like him can go from 100 to a zero just from a fear of ghosts. Not that I think he's a zero-zero or anything", he rambled and I couldn't help but raise a brow at his words. In a way he was right, but I didn't want to deal with any bullshit about ghosts.

"Get out of here before you lose a limb", I smirked, lightly punching Naruto's shoulder as he bid me farewell and I closed the front door behind him.

"Oh, Naruto left?", Mother asked as she peered around the threshold if the kitchen while wiping her hands on the front of her apron, "You should have asked him to stay for supper", she said with a disappointed look before returning to the kitchen and I followed her in.

"He kept checking his phone all evening, I'm sure he had plans", I said as I walked toward the fridge and opened it, searching through the items inside.

"Well, Kushina is just worried about her son and wants him home nice and early", Mother says with a smile as she stirred a pot on the stove to which I guessed could only contain some form of soup. I thought it smelled delicious.

"Doubt it. He was dressed far too nice today. Probably told his mom he was staying over for supper and instead went out to fool around with some girl. Or boy, who knows what that idiot is interested in.", I smirked while taking out a pitcher of orange juice and pouring some into the cup that mother had just placed in the counter in front of me, "For all I know, he could be into beastiality with how much he loves that cat of his, Kurama", I added, before sipping my orange juice and Mother frowned at me in disapproval.

"So, when are you going to get a girlfriend", she asked with a smirk that matched my own and lightly jabbed my shoulder with her elbow. I choked on juice a bit upon contact and she chuckled in response.

"Girls are troublesome", I said simply, quoting one of Shikamaru's heavily used one-liners.

Mother smiled and shook her head, before her expression became a little bit more serious, "Now, go tell your brother that supper is ready", she said.

I placed the pitcher of juice back in the fridge with a look of uncertainty, "But mom, you know that he won't-", I was cut off before I could finish. Normally, it would get on my nerves when it came to any other person, but when mother cuts me off is an entirely different story.

"No back-talking", she says sternly, leaving no room for protest.

I let my gaze fall to the empty glass that sat upon the counter in front of me, my previous thoughts taking a darker turn as events of the night before seemed to flood my senses in the form of anxiety. I glanced at Mother once more with a grimace and she gave me a pointed look toward Itachi's room in return.

"Fine", I mumbled and trudged out of the kitchen with an almost deflated posture.

The rest of the house seemed oddly dark and dreary compared to the atmosphere around the kitchen and I resisted the urge to shiver. The hallway light on the second floor was off and drenched the staircase in shadow which in turn, made each step toward Itachi's bedroom more ominous than the last. I nervously slid my hand along the banister, my steps faltering slightly as I finally reached the top of the stairs.

I crept down the hall toward Itachi's bedroom door, stopping in front of it as I lifted a hand and mustered up the courage to knock. Mother happily hummed to herself in the kitchen and it echoed throughout the dead silence of the house. I was happy for that and quickly knocked on the door which shifted upon contact. I was surprised that it was not closed properly.

"Itachi, mom said to come down for supper", The words left my lips so quickly that even I thought they sounded like some form of terrible, broken English. I didn't understand why I was so nervous and that only added onto the heavy weight that was already resting upon my shoulders due to the odd things Itachi was saying the night previous.

"I'm not hungry", Startled, I turned around to find Itachi leaning against door frame of the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"You know, you really have to make some fucking noise when you move", I felt bad for losing my temper, but I was honestly sick of all his creeping that he's been doing ever since yesterday. I was happy he was finally coming out of his room after god knows how long, but this was getting ridiculous.

The hallway was dark, though through the shadows, I could see that Itachi was still wearing his white t-shirt and pajama pants to match, his feet were bare and his hair was falling over one shoulder in a loose ponytail, however there was one thing about him that bothered me aside from his hollow gaze he directed toward me.

Littered about the collar of his shirt were odd specks of a dark substance that I hadn't recalled to be there the night before and I squinted in the darkness as I attempted to figure out what it was, Itachi saw this and I could have sworn that he growled at me.

"Sasuke, I think you should go downstairs", Itachi said quietly as he took a step forward, eyes wide with an almost carnivorous glint within them. I honestly felt threatened and took one step back toward the stairs with a furrowed brow.

"I'm worried about you, you know", I began, eyes flickering to a light switch to my left and Itachi followed my gaze with dark, opaque orbs that resembled my own. I lunged for the light switch, my fingers barely touching it before Itachi's hand roughly gripped my wrist, pulling it away before I could turn on the light. I was too surprised to even figure out how he had gotten beside me so quickly.

"Go downstairs, Sasuke", his words were as cold as ice, enough to send a shiver down my spine and I let my eyes rise from the light switch to Itachi as he loomed over me. I shrunk under his gaze and his smoldering eyes bore holes right through me.

"Why do you hate the light so much?", I whispered, voice quivered slightly as I struggled to lock eyes with him.

Itachi shook his head slowly in disapproval at the suspicion that swam within my words, before he let my wrist go and lifted his other hand, my eyes clenching shut as he raised it toward my face.

I was surprised when an audible click sounded beside my head and light filled the hallway, but also shocked to find that when I opened my eyes, I was able to come to a conclusion about the dark splotches upon Itachi's white shirt.

"You watch too much movies", Itachi stated quietly.

"Is that _blood_?", I asked incredulously, ignoring his words and also taking in the dark shadows beneath his somber gaze, the cracks in his pale lips, and the way he looked so fragile, as if the moment I touched him, he would shatter to a million pieces at my feet.

"None of your business, it doesn't concern you", Itachi snapped, moving away from where I stood in quick strides until he reached his open bedroom door. I was about to follow after him, but the look he shot in my direction as he paused at the threshold was enough to make me think otherwise. A look so filled with malice that it seemed as though he were surrounded by a hundred black ravens that swarmed out of the darkness of his bedroom and flew right toward me in that fraction of a second; a haunting visualization of my own fear as I gazed into the eyes of my own brother.

For a moment, we stood there as a heavy silence hung between us, the only sounds in the house coming from Mother, who was setting down the plates on the dinner table downstairs.

"If it does not concern me, It concerns our Mother", I said in retaliation, turning to run down the stairs with sweat beading upon my forehead and as I did, I felt fingers brush against my back.

Itachi had reacted too slow.

I hurried into the kitchen, my face paled slightly as I did so after the adrenaline receded and I sat down in my chair at the table, "So, how did it go, hun?", Mother asked and I just shrugged, she studied me for a bit before frowning. Surely, she had definitely noticed my grim expression.

The front door opened and I straightened in my seat, as I knew that Father had finally returned home from work. I placed a blank mask upon my features and held it until he entered the kitchen, sitting at the head of the table like the damn prideful man he is, "Welcome home, Father", I said in practiced calm to which Father reciprocated with the typical nod he always gives. I was beginning to wonder if he even knew basic human conversation or not.

Mother's frown seemed to deepen, yet she said nothing as she began placing food on the table, before taking a seat as well and from there, we ate in silence. I don't think anyone was prepared for what transpired a second later, Hell, even I had to remember how to swallow my food as Itachi silently walked into the kitchen and sat at the table in the seat beside me with an unreadable expression, though I could see that it was a veil of indifference as his gaze landed on me for the smallest fraction of a second and I could feel the utter fury that seemed to ooze off of him.

The smile on Mother's face was enough to tell me that she nor Father had picked up on it and I let my eyes fall to my food which now tasted bland and had lost all flavor. I also couldn't help but notice that Itachi had changed his clothes into all black attire that contrasted with his alabaster skin and inky black hair.

"Good Evening", Itachi said in a tone that sounded almost exactly as he had been months earlier, a tone that sounded like my Elder brother. I knew that it was nothing but lies, yet Mother and even Father fell for it like flies to honey. I don't know what Itachi was so damn afraid of me exposing, but he seemed hell bent on preventing me from speaking at all.

"I apologize for my insolent behavior these past few months and thought I would inform you that I am willing to face the repercussions of the choices I have made during that time", he said and I glared at my food with every smooth syllable that left his lips. I was shaking in disbelief.

Father nodded to himself and Mother smiled at Itachi, "I'm just happy that you decided to join us. If you need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask. We're family and we'll always be here for you", she said before returning to her eating her supper.

Father cleared his throat and I lifted my head to glance at him, "The things that you have done are unforgivable, however I will look past that if you can rise up to your former status in the family. Only then, will we talk", He said in his gruff voice before leaving the kitchen with his food left barely touched on the table.

Mother sighed, "Fugaku doesn't seem to remember that we're raising two sons and not two heirs to the company. I've told you two once, but I will tell you again. You can choose whatever you want in life, don't let his demands sway you", she chastised as she waved her fork in the air, "Also, aren't you going to eat?", she looked towards Itachi who still had an empty plate.

I glanced at Itachi in anticipation while taking a bite of the salad Mother had so graciously prepared along with stew for supper. Itachi's expression twisted into a grimace as he stared at the food upon the table and Mother followed his gaze.

"Do you not like what I made?", She asked with a smile, though there was obvious hurt within her words as she placed her hands upon her lap with a sigh and I smirked as I knew that Itachi definitely had a soft spot for our Mother, even if he had barely portrayed it these past few months.

Itachi's head snapped up and he opened his mouth to speak with an almost desperate expression, however Mother lifted a hand to silence him, "I was just worried about you", she said and I watched as she leaned over the table to pat his shoulder lightly, "After all, now that I'm getting a good look at you, you're nothing but skin and bones!", she sighed.

"On a related note", I began after taking another bite of food and successfully grabbing the attention of both Itachi and our Mother, "He also looked pretty sick when I went upstairs to get him", I stated in a nonchalant tone with the slightest hint of mischief swimming behind the seemingly harmless words.

Itachi's shoulders stiffened slightly and his eyes narrowed as if daring me to continue and with all the bullshit about ghosts and demons that he was spouting the night before, I decided that now was a good time for revenge.

"My poor baby! Are you feeling any better?", Mother turned to Itachi and asked with concern written upon her childish features, but before Itachi could speak, she continued, "Here, even if you don't like it, you have to get some food in you", she said in a tone that left no room for protest as she picked up the ladle from the table and scooped up some soup from the pot that rested in the center.

"No really, it's fine", Itachi said quickly, but not before sending a look of irritation in my direction when she wasn't looking.

"No really, eat it", Mother deadpanned, to which Itachi reciprocated with a hardly noticeable nod of his head before he let his gaze fall to the bowl that was now filled with soup and I couldn't help but notice the uncertainty that lingered within his eyes.

The phone rang in the living room which successfully cut through the sudden tension in the air of the kitchen and Mother stood to go and answer it, but not before speaking with a solemn expression upon her face, "I know that you've been ill for a while, Itachi.. but please just eat something.. For me?", She pleaded quietly before promptly leaving the kitchen.

Itachi sat as still as if he were carved from stone for a few moments before slowly raising a hand to grab the spoon beside the bowl of soup he sat in front of and it was taking him such a long time to take a damn bite that it began to get on my nerves. I stood from the table with my empty bowl in hand, but Itachi's sudden grip on my shoulder pulled me back into my seat.

"You have a really bad habit of running your mouth", Itachi whispered harshly as he turned to face me with a look of utter irritation and I blinked in surprise.

"And you have a really bad habit of grabbing people", I spat while shrugging my shoulder from his grip and stood from the table once more while trying to ignore the feel of his gaze on my back.

I ignored any further words that Itachi may or may not have said as I left the table and instead focused on washing both my own and Mother's dishes, but what Itachi did not know was that I was occasionally glancing at his form which was reflected upon the surface of the kitchen window that stood in front of me.

After all, I was curious as to the reason why he was not eating, seeing as he had always been a total health nut who refused to let their body deteriorate in such a way, but the main fact beneath it all was that I had not seen him eat a single meal for the past three months.

Itachi leaned forward, hesitating as he brought a spoonful of soup to his lips with an expression twisted into a grimace. I watched as he swallowed the soup and lowered his head, his face hidden by his midnight black hair and his hand falling limp upon the table.

"Come on, it's not that bad", I sighed as I shut off the tap and placed the clean dishes in the metal rack beside the sink, turning to face Itachi as he spoke.

"Why..?", he whispered brokenly.

The sound of his ragged breath made it's way to my ears and I raised a brow, taking a few steps closer I noted that his shoulders were shaking albeit only slightly and all previous sarcasm I had was replaced with worry.

"Why what?", I asked wearily, finding the tone in his voice to be off compared to the way he had been speaking earlier, however he did not answer.

"Hey, mom?", I called out without letting my eyes break away from Itachi who now held a hand to cover his mouth.

"It's _their_ fault! _They_ did this to me!", He growled through the spaces between his fingers.

"Mom!", I urgently called out when Itachi suddenly stood from his chair and swung his arm at the table, knocking off a few plates which fell to the floor and shattered to pieces. I took a few steps backwards, shock written upon my face as the scene unfolded in front of me.

Mother entered the kitchen almost as quickly as it had all started and her brow scrunched up in worry as she lifted a hand to place it over her mouth, "Itachi, what have you done..?", she whispered, wearing an expression that mirrored my own.

Itachi's head snapped up upon Mother's entry and on his face, he wore a twisted frown that had Mother and myself flinching, "I haven't done anything wrong", he said in a sickeningly sweet tone that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The fear that he induced from so much as a single glance was immense.

Mother smiled at Itachi, much like she had done earlier while we were all sitting at the table, however the smile did nothing to hide the anxiety that dominated her features as she crossed the room and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, steering clear of any shards of glass along the way.

"It's okay, my boy.. You're okay", She cooed in an attempt to comfort Itachi as well as herself while lightly rubbing his shoulder and for a moment, Itachi's expression faltered before he promptly smacked her hand away to which she gave a yelp of surprise in response.

The room fell silent and nothing but the sound of my own heart pounding in my ears kept me company amid the suffocating tension that hung heavily above our heads. I flinched from my spot across the room as Itachi suddenly shook his head with a look of sorrow plastered upon his face and quickly bent down to pick up the pieces of glass upon the floor.

"I'm sorry", he mumbled, his voice barely audible over the glass clinking together within his grasp.

Mother turned around to shoot me a look of confusion coupled with worry and I could only shake my head in response, I mean, what the hell was I supposed to say? I knew that she was aware of Itachi coming to speak to me since he came out of his room yesterday, but I didn't know what to tell her when I had such inaccurate pieces of information myself.

Mother lifted a hand to run it through the front of her hair with a shaky sigh, "It's okay, just.. don't break any more dishes", I watched as she exited the kitchen, but not before pausing at the threshold of the doorway.

"Sasuke, help him clean up. I'm going to go lay down", She whispered in a drained, almost exhausted voice and I nodded as she left the room and as she did so, I just barely managed to catch sight of my Father disappearing after her. So he had been watching after all.

Itachi's posture was deflated and his head was held low in shame as he mechanically picked up the glass from the floor, I'd have helped him as well if not for the fact that I noticed he was holding the glass in his hand far too tightly.

"Hey..", I said quietly while taking a step toward him as I noticed the small streams of blood that fell from his hand and onto the floor, contrasting violently with the shards of white glass beneath his feet and the white marble tiles they fell upon.

Itachi ignored me, shoving more pieces of glass in his hand and I flinched when one particularly long piece sliced his index finger, leaving an angry red cut in it's wake.

I crossed the floor almost instantly and bent down to his level, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from picking up any more pieces, "Enough!", I yelled, completely disturbed by his lack of care. I didn't want to see him like this.

Itachi lifted his head, eyes boring into mine and within their depth was an immense pain that I couldn't even begin to understand and my breath caught in my throat. "I'm sorry", he mumbled and let his head droop once more as he let go of the glass in his hand, the pieces falling to the floor now dyed a gruesome scarlet.

"Stop apologizing, idiot", I spat as I released my grip on his wrist and carefully began picking up the pieces myself after wiping a few stray tears from my eyes with my sleeve. I didn't even realize that I had begun crying, "Go clean yourself up. I'll pick up the glass", I whispered, feeling utterly pathetic.

Itachi merely got to his feet, stepping upon glass as he did so and trudged out of the kitchen. I did not watch him leave. Later, I could have sworn that I heard him violently vomiting in the bathroom all the way from upstairs.

The only company I had within the kitchen was the sound of my own silent sobs and glass clinking together as I swiped them into the dustpan, trying to ignore the shards that were stained with Itachi's blood and also trying to remain oblivious to the sounds of Mother and Father arguing down the hall.

"He's insane!", Father yelled, followed by a loud thuds to which I could only assume was his own angry footsteps as he paced within the depths of the room he and Mother shared, "That insolent brat is not an Uchiha, he is a disgrace!", he added harshly and even though the words weren't directed towards me, they hurt just as much.

"How can you say that about your own son?! He isn't well and you're not making it any better!", Mother yelled and I flinched when a loud smash echoed through the hall. She had probably thrown something, "The only disgrace here is you!", She spat and suddenly, their argument left the confines of their bedroom and spilled out into the hallway.

I clenched my teeth as their words seemed to resonate within me, I felt every yell, every angry comment and every smash that could be heard in the form of a sharp pain in my chest. I just wanted things to go back to normal, I wanted my family back. Everything fell apart three months ago. Everything just shattered to fucking pieces those damn glass plates. Yeah, that's what we were, shattered.

I laughed to myself as I stood and emptied the glass in the trash can and began to wipe down the remnants of wasted supper that was still spattered upon the table.

"Mikoto, this nonsense has gone on for far too long", Father said and I turned around to face the entrance of the kitchen as he passed by, the sound of his footsteps stopping at what I could only assume was the front door. Mother angrily followed after him, sending an apologetic glance in my direction when she noticed that I was watching everything unfold from the kitchen.

"That monstrosity upstairs is not my son and god forbid he stay here any longer. If he does not leave, then I will", Father snapped and my blood ran cold the very moment the words left his lips.

A loud slap echoed throughout the house and I peeked around the edge of the kitchen door to see that Mother had indeed struck Father across the face, as his head was still turned slightly to the left and his chestnut brown locks covered his expression from view.

I tensed and his burly form shook slightly, almost as though he were about to strike back, however he simply turned away from Mother's fiery gaze and left out the door, "Good Riddance!", Mother yelled after him before locking the door.

The house was silent and the tension in the air was so thick it was suffocating and I almost forgot how to breathe, but as I watched Mother lean against the door with her clenched fists held close to her sides, I crossed the living room and wrapped my arms around her in comfort.

"It's okay", I said quietly as her shoulders shook and she silently wept into my shoulder. My own eyes began to sting. I hated seeing her upset.

I don't know how long I held her as she cried, but as another pair of arms suddenly wrapped around both her and myself, she began to cry harder as Itachi joined us at the front door with bandages neatly wrapped around his injured hand and smelling heavily of mouthwash.

Father with his unreasonable anger, Mother with her torn feelings, Itachi with his illness that we knew nothing about and myself with my own depressing thoughts that plagued me every day.

_Yes, we were definitely broken._

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**_A/N: Feel free to leave a review._**


	2. Reminiscing

ooooo

**Shadow of a Former Sun**

Chapter Two

_"Reminiscing"_

* * *

Morning had come along just like always and the suns rays reached in my bedroom window through the spaces between my navy blue curtains. I sat at my desk, working through the last few questions of homework that I had missed during my day home from school on Friday. The house was silent, nothing else could be heard besides the sound of my heel tapping against the hardwood floor beneath my feet.

I welcomed the silence as I completed my homework, shuffling the loose sheets into a folder and then placing them in my black messenger bag that hung over the back of my computer chair. I was relieved to have the sheets over and done with, but at the same time disappointed, because now that I had that out of the way, there was nothing to keep my mind mind occupied.

The initial stress of having to deal with Itachi's behavior for the past few months had the entire family walking on eggshells and I guess last night was the cherry on top of a fucking fantastic sundae of bullshit. The hug that Mother, Itachi, and I had shared in the livingroom last night hadn't felt comforting in the slighest with it being so completely hollow. A simple embrace that was necessary at the time in order to hold everyone together. Nothing more, nothing less.

Mother had retreated to her bedroom and had called Uncle Izuna, most likely in order to find some sort of comfort, because neither Itachi, nor myself could provide her with it. Itachi had crawled back to the darkness of his bedroom like a cockroach, and I had simply went to sleep; Drama just sucks the life right out of you.

I couldn't fathom the entirety of the enigma that was my elder brother and I was damn well sure that no one could, or else there would have been some sort of solution, something that we all could have done for Itachi before everything went to shit. I guess reality just doesn't work that way.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the sound of what I assumed was the front door slamming closed had reached my ears. I exited my room and descended the stair case without so much as a glance toward Itachi's bedroom door. I rounded the corner and crossed the living room toward the foyer, peering out the large window in time to see a silver car pulling out of the driveway. Father must have returned home during the night and was now leaving for work.

"Sasuke, is that you?", Mother's voice had called from the kitchen. It was tired and weary.

I slowly trudged into the kitchen, Mother's back was faced me as she sat at the table, her shoulders slumped and her hands loosely wrapped around a cup of what I assumed was chai tea, judging by the spicy, yet sweet aroma that wafted within the air.

"Yeah, it's me", I replied, surprised at how raspy my own voice was.

Mother said nothing more, instead, she lightly tapped the surface of the table in front of the empty chair next to her. I raised a brow, finding her behavior questionable, yet I complied with her silent gesture and slowly made my way to sit in the seat beside her.

"What's up?", I asked when I had finally gotten a good look at her. The light that always swam within her dark eyes were slightly dimmed, leaving them dull, black pools of an emotion that I couldn't quite comprehend. The bags beneath them were enough to tell me that she had barely gotten any sleep, and I could smell a twinge of tobacco drifting from her clothing. I thought she had quit smoking.

"Have some tea with me", She said, ignoring my question with a smile playing at the corners of her lips and I watched as she silently stood from the table to go pour some water from the kettle into a fresh mug that was already waiting. I assumed that she was already aware that I was awake earlier and had prepared the cup beforehand.

"Milk and sugar?", she added with her back turned.

"None", I yawned and leaned back in the chair as she returned to her seat, placing the warm beverage in front of me with a troubled expression swimming within the depth of her eyes.

I noticed that she would open her mouth to speak every now and then, but she would close it immediately after with a sigh. I let my gaze fall to the cup of tea in front of me, watching the faint steam that whispered out past the rim of the porcelian mug.

"Your father..", I looked up, "He won't be coming home for a while", Mother said as her gaze flickered up from her glass mug to meet my eyes.

I was shocked, but not surprised as my mind drifted elsewhere. I was only vaguely aware of Mother's gaze upon my face as Father's words echoed in the back of my mind.

"That monstrosity up there is not my son, and god forbid he stay here any longer!"

Father was definitely a stubborn man, however I didn't think he'd actually leave if things didn't go the way he wanted them to. I honestly never suspected that he was this childish and it irritated me to know that he wouldn't be coming home due to such simplistic reasons. I mean, his attitude could be overbearing more often than naught, but in the end, he was still my Father. I hated to admit it, but the thought of him not being around was kind of making me lonely. Nothing compared to the emptiness that Itachi had brought, but lonely nontheless.

A simple nod was all I could manage upon hearing the news and I let my gaze fall somewhere to the side, nearly jumping when one of Mother's hands lightly patted the top of my head, before she left the kitchen without another word. It was early in the morning and I already felt like complete shit, but of course, that was a common feeling in this house these days, and I was positive that it was not only me who believed that.

The sound of footsteps too heavy to be Mother's made it's way to my ears, and I turned my head slightly to find Itachi enter the kitchen. I was mildly surprised, as this was the first time in a long while that he had been out of his room at such a time. I was positive that if he hadn't shown up at the dinner table last night with his erratic behaviour, I probably would have been shitting bricks at this point.

Itachi wore all black attire, which contrasted violently with his pale skin that was already lacking a heaalthy hue, his hair was pulled back in his usual tie, and his eyes were half-lidded and lazy. I let my gaze fall to his injured hand after noticing that the bandages were loose and nearly falling off of his thin wrist.

"That's a laughable expression on your face", he said, words coming out barely above a whisper and I strained to hear it past the sound of morning city life that poured in from the window behind me.

"Like yours is any better", I retorted, my tone was bitter and held no humor, however it did not affect Itachi in the slightest as he walked passed me and grabbed a glass from the cupboard, before filling it with water from the kitchen sink.

A part of me was concerned as I watched him with a brow raised, fearing that he might suddenly snap, but the other part also found his movements quite irritating for a reason that I couldn't quite grasp. The way he moved was slow and reeked of lethargy. I couldn't blame him. I mean, mornings were always shit, whether you were insane or not, but his current display was almost as if he were intentionally trying to set me off.

Itachi's head suddenly snapped toward my direction and I flinched at the sudden movement. The look on his face was something akin to a scowl and he placed his full glass of water on the counter next to him.

"You're still here?", he asked as his hand slowly fell limp to his side, though his words didn't hold a single ounce of genuine curiosity.

"I was here first", I mumbled, beginning to feel nervous. I could sense something off about him, something that had me debating whether or not I should just leave the room and let-whatever it is that he is trying to accomplish right now-slide. I now knew that whenever you had Itachi's attention after a certain period of time, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Itachi frowned as he gave me a once over with an emotionless gaze and I shivered, noticing signs of that unadulterated fear that I always felt these days whenever I looked into his eyes for too long. I turned away from him, taking a sip of my forgotten tea as an excuse not to face him, and it was only then, that he had begun speaking.

"You know..", Itachi began darkly, "That curiosity of yours is going to bite you back one of these days."

I merely shrugged, pegging it odd that he was attempting to argue with me even when I wasn't the one to initiate it. I was mentally exhausted and couldn't muster up the energy to snap back at his weird, almost cryptic manner of speaking, even more so after learning of Father's decision to take a hike. Though, Itachi seemed to be in the mood to get on my last nerve.

"If only you'd shut your mouth like that more often, then maybe we wouldn't be on such bad terms, little brother", Itachi said in a condescending tone of voice.

Now, I was pissed.

All previous lack of interest flew right out the window and a scowl donned my features as I gripped the handle of my mug tightly until the skin was pulled taut over my knuckles. If there was one thing that this new Itachi was very good at, it was making me unreasonably angry for seemingly no reason at all. Perhaps it was because him and I used to be so close? I had always believed that the bond between Itachi and I was special, however if I cannot be trusted, then why am I even trying so hard in the first place?

"The only reason we're on bad terms, is because you're fucking insane", I spat angrily, yet I lacked the guts to turn around to make myself seem any more convincing than I could have.

I only want to be someone that he can trust.

A low, airy chuckle reached my ears and almost as quick as red-hot anger coursed through my veins, it vanished. I kept my gaze locked onto my hands, as they nervously fell to my lap in the form of lightly clenched fists when light footsteps had made their way to my ears.

"You really have been prying lately, _haven't you_?", Itachi whispered, and every smooth, syllabyle that was soaked with venom seemed to weave itself within the deepest part of my very being.

I did not like how his voice sounded in that moment, not one bit.

A hand was suddenly placed against my throat and I nearly gasped in surprise, but kept my mouth shut tightly, even when I could feel Itachi's breath upon the back of my neck. I was absolutely trapped, confined and perhaps I even forgot how to speak as Itachi's hand lightly ghosted along my collarbone, sliding across toward my shoulder, before softly trailing down my arm.

The oddly intimate gesture sent a chill down my spine, however I couldn't even begin to stress over the reason behind it, before Itachi abruptly gripped either sides of the chair that I sat in and pulled the seat backward until it's two front legs left the floor. I flinched upon instinct and expected to fall flat upon the tile floor, before it registered in my mind that I was now facing Itachi as he held the chair tightly in place. His eyes held a certain fire within them that bore down on me, and he ominously loomed over my much smaller frame as he bent down to my eye level with steely, ashen orbs.

"I thought I told you..", Itachi began in soft tone, before it had ultimately shifted into something far more sinister as he leaned foward until his lips were nearly pressed against the hollow of my ear, "not to pry on your older brother", he trailed off in a whisper, before placing a chaste kiss upon my temple and then pulling away with a look of twisted triumph as my chair fell back into place.

It was as though I was carved from stone; I did not move, I did not breathe, and I did not blink.

Mother suddenly entered the kitchen with an empty cleaning bucket and her eyes flickered between Itachi and I upon entry, her steps coming to a pause near the fridge once she saw the close proximity between us. Mother opened her mouth as if to speak, however Itachi quite suddenly left the kitchen. A look of concern washed over her features as Itachi brushed passed her without a word and my quivering gaze watched his back as he left.

"What did he say to you?", Mother asked once she turned to look at me with a look of concern, heavily laced with curiostiy. I assumed that I looked pretty fucking spooked. I mean, anyone would be in that kind of situation.

I shook my head furiously and abruptly stood from my chair in an attempt to make a quick break for my room, but a hand upon my shoulder prevented me from taking another step. I was thankful for her sudden arrival, but I wasn't willing to answer any of her questions, because even I was at a complete loss for words. I didn't even know that I was shaking, until her hand gave my shoulder light, comforting squeeze.

I found that lately, after every single run-in with Itachi, I would have to chant 'I have no reason to be afraid' in my head like some kind of sutrah just to face him, but then it always bites me in the ass afterwards. If I really had no reason to be afraid of Itachi, why is it that I have to keep reminding myself? What about him has changed so drastically in these past few months that caused me to react this way whenever I saw him? I hadn't a damn clue.

"Sasuke.. I let you get away with it last night, but not this time", Mother began, "What did Itachi say to you?", she said sternly as she moved to stand in front of me with both her hands placed upon my rigid shoulders and I knew then that she wasn't going to let me leave unless I spilled the beans.

Well, fuck.

I averted my gaze to the floor, not wanting to look her in the eye as I thought about all the crazy shit that Itachi has been spewing as of late. All the riddles, talk about strange beings that may or may not be after him, and his creepy night visits. There is no way in hell that I would want to talk about those. I mean, where would I even start? 'Oh, nothing mom, it's just that Itachi was in my room in the middle of the night and woke me up because he was mumbling about demons at the foot of my bed, pretty fantastic, right?'.

"_Sasuke_", Mother said, shaking me lightly in order to pull me from my thoughts and I immediately lifted my gaze to meet hers.

I shifted nervously and opened my mouth to speak, however almost on que, the doorbell chimed in and I could not thank that obnoxious noise more than anything in that very moment, even more so when I had the slightest idea of who it was. Mother sighed in annoyance before she removed her hands from my shoulders and left the kitchen to answer the door, but not before sending a parting glance over her small shoulder that obviously meant that I wasn't off the hook just yet.

"Oh, hello Naruto", Mother's voice sounded from the next room and I smirked to myself once I heard Naruto greet her back.

Well, maybe I was off the hook for as long as the idiot was over.

I left the kitchen in a hurry to immerse myself in Naruto's company which seemed to always have the ability to brighten up my mood no matter the situation, much like Itachi used to. A whisper from the stairs had me pausing midway and I pressed my lips into a thin line when I faced the direction of the sound that was barely audible over Naruto's voice.

Itachi sat upon the bottom of the staircase, yet hidden away just enough for neither Mother nor Naruto to see him. I leaned away from his general direction upon instinct, steps coming to a pause right in front of where he sat upon the second last step, his figure shrouded in the darkness of the stairwell.

I watched in anticipation as he lifted a finger to his lips and silently whispered, "Shh..", with a flat expression upon his features, and if I wasn't already creeped out by the gesture, he took the same finger and crossed it over his throat. I slowly averted my gaze and made my way to the door feeling even more confused than before.

"Hey", I said in a shaky tone as I stopped beside Mother to greet Naruto who was already taking off his blue and orange sneakers in the foyer.

Naruto neatly placed his shoes in the shoe rack, before standing up straight while his sapphire orbs brushed over my features with a mischeivous smirk, "You look like shit", he chuckled before patting me once on the shoulder.

"Language, Naruto", Mother said as she locked the front door, before making her way to the kitchen. The sound of running water began to echo from the other room and I assumed that she was filling the empty bucket that she had in her hands earlier.

Naruto chuckled as Mother left, before his expression became uncharacteristically serious, his usually loud tone falling quiet, "I'm being honest though, you don't look so good. Anything happen?", he asked and once he did, I quickly turned around to glance at the stairs in fear that Itachi was still sitting around the corner, just out of sight, but not out of hearing range.

The image from the stairwell wouldn't leave my mind and it terrified me, even more so when I realized that whenever Itachi crossed my mind, there were less and less happy memories that came along with his name. All of them were being overwritten by this.. cold being disguised as the brother that I used to know and look up to. I don't know why I always find myself so hung up about it, but if there was one thing that I knew for sure, was that I just wanted my brother back.

"Nothing happened", I whispered sadly in reply, still facing the stairs and straining my neck to somehow see farther around the corner without actually taking a step anywhere near it.

Naruto raised a brow at my oddly evasive choice of words, but didn't push any further and instead, made his way to the livingroom couch, "I'm actually kind of mad that I woke up this early on a Saturday", he huffed as he unceremoniously plopped down onto the plush, navy cushions.

"I figured that I'd come visit the ice prince, since royal bastards like you are early risers", Naruto joked as he shifted in his spot to peer over the back of the antique piece of furniture that he sat in.

I could only hum in respose, as I decided to make my way to the stairs to see if Itachi was still seated upon the steps, silently listening, waiting. I knew he wasn't there, since Mother did not react as she made her way back to the kitchen, but the paranoia was consuming me. Honestly, I couldn't help but peer around the corner anyways, relieved to find that the dimly lit stair case was completely empty and all traces of Itachi's presence were long gone. I brushed my bangs away from my face with a defeated sigh, before sitting down on the step that Itachi had previously been in.

"Okay, I've been watching you for a while now and you're really starting to freak me out", Naruto stated with a raised brow as he lightly scratched his temple with his index finger; A nervous habit of his whenever he began to feel uncomfortable.

I let my head rest in my palms with a deep sigh and ran my fingers through my hair, "I'm freaking myself out here..", I finally admitted.

Naruto seemed to understand, because I could see him silently nodding to himself from my peripherals. Silence fell between us and I didn't know if it was due to the atmosphere in the house, or if it was just Naruto trying to be polite.

A car horn went off outside a few times and I glanced out the living room window to find Uncle Izuna's black sedan parked in the driveway. Genuine surprise was written upon my face as Mother suddenly exited the kitchen with a few empty bags in her arms and headed toward the front door.

"Alright boys, I will be out for a while with Izuna", Mother began as she slipped on her favorite black flats and straightened out her navy cardigan, "Was there anything you needed?", she asked with a smile as she paused at the door. I pondered the possibilities for a moment, but shook my head.

"Well then, take care..", She said her eyes slowly drifted toward the general direction of Itachi's bedroom. I assumed that she was worried about whether or not Itachi would decide to talk to me while she was gone- she was slowly beginning to pick up on everything. I gave her a small smile to reassure her and then shrugged. She seemed satisfied with my voiceless reply.

Mother left immediately after that, locking the door behind her and as soon as the lock clicked, the paranoia was beginning to resurface. I quickly stood from the stairs and hopped over the back of the couch to sit beside Naruto, who flinched at the sudden movement, "The hell, man?", he said with a grimace.

"You better not tell anyone...", I whispered in warning, eyes flitting from Naruto's confused facial expression, to the direction of Itachi's bedroom and back again.

Naruto's cerulean gaze followed mine to the top of the stairs, before realization painted his features in the form of an aniticipating smile, "_Go on_", he replied in excitement.

I ingored the chill that ran down my spine when I recalled Itachi's eerie hand gestures from the stairs. I brought a thumb to my mouth to chew on the nail for a moment, which seemed to heighten the suspense even further, because Naruto began impatiently leaning forward while waiting for me to spit out whatever was on my mind.

"There is something wrong with Itachi", I finally admitted in a rushed tone, eyes darting to the stairs once more.

Naruto's face fell, "Well, anyone can tell you that..", he pouted, obviously disappointed as he crossed his arms over his chest, ".. and here I thought I was going to get some good details too", he mumbled, which got on my nerves.

"Dumbass, let me finish", I sighed in exasperation as Naruto's pout deepend, yet he lifted his hand as if gesturing to continue.

"There is something really wrong with him, Naruto..", I began, my tone dripping with something akin to worry, "and I'm scared to find out what it is..".

Naruto looked lost, almost as though he hadn't an idea how to proceed. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do either if he were in the same position and that's what made it so frustrating. A light hand fell on my shoulder as Naruto patted it slightly, his expression awkward, but the emotion within his eyes was sincere.

"Sasuke, to me, it seems like you know more about Itachi than anyone right now..", Naruto sighed, unsure of how to continue as he removed his hand from my shoulder and sunk further into the couch, "You should talk about it, you know? I can tell that it's eating you up inside".

The words hurt more than I thought, but they were undeniably true. I knew from the bottom of my heart, that if I told Mother, it would ruin this idea that she has in her mind where Itachi's current behavior is merely due to mental stress, but it was so much more than that. If there was anyone that I could trust right now, it would be Naruto.

A long, shaky sigh whispered past my lips as I straightened my back and faced Naruto once more, my expression uncertain, though his patient eyes urged me to continue.

"You see, Itachi was in my room last night..", I began and Naruto's expression lit up slightly, but fell soon after as his eyes drifted off somewhere over my shoulder and the words caught in my throat as I shifted on the couch to follow his gaze.

It was Itachi and he looked absolutely furious as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"I believe I told you to mind your own business, Sasuke", he said in that ice cold tone of his, the one that seemed to ooze authority-even Naruto shrunk in on himself, much like a puppy being scolded.

"Naruto", Itachi warned in a low tone, eyes drifting back and forth between Naruto and I with an unreadable expression plastered upon his features.

Naruto laughed nervously and scratched his temple before waving the same hand in the air slightly, "We're just worried about you, you know? I mean, you've.. you've changed quite a bit since summer", he said, awkwardly meeting my gaze, mentally begging me to throw in some input with a forced smile, "Right, Sasuke?".

Alright, maybe now was the time to reach out for help, because clearly, Mother and I are longer enough to keep Itachi grounded anymore and that fact was steadily becoming known to all of us.

I stood from the couch and crossed my arms with my lips pressed into a thin line. I wasn't comfortable with Itachi's prescence at the moment, especially after his silent threat, but now that Naruto was here, I was feeling bold.

"This is enough, Itachi and I know that you need help", I said in a single breath and Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. I was on fire, this is the moment it all comes down to. If it's not now, nothing will ever get better.

Itachi faced me with a blank expression upon his face that did not falter even once, "It's not fair to do this without mom's permisson, but I know you better than anyone else", I said slowly and carefully, eyes never leaving Itachi's as I walked towards the phone that sat upon the cushion next to Naruto. Itachi's eyes narrowed as I picked up the phone from the couch and Naruto tensed, before his hand suddenly grasped my wrist.

"Who are you calling?!", Naruto whispered harshly, eyes darting back and forth between Itachi and I. "When I said you should talk about it, I didn't mean it like this!".

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?", I asked angrily while turning to face Naruto with a scowl, tugging my wrist against his grip.

Naruto shook his head when I turned to face him, his expression twisted into a frown, an expression so foreign on the idiot's face that it had me pausing to raise my brow for only a moment.

I could have gone back in time and still be completely unprepared for what transpired next, both Naruto and myself could barely even register what had happened before Itachi suddenly lunged forward, ripping the phone from my grip and then tearing out the battery from the back.

Shocked, Naruto and I watched as the battery was dropped to the floor at Itachi's feet. I flinched slightly when he carelessly tossed the phone to the side, where it flew into the kitchen and skidded across the tile floor.

"Who exactly are you going to call, Sasuke?", Itachi spoke in an even tone, yet his eyes were wild and unyielding, "Going to tell on me to mommy? The police? You know very well who is head of police, do you not?".

I shut my eyes then and there, breathing in and out slowly in order to calm myself. Losing my head here wouldn't get me anywhere. Apparently Itachi wasn't having any of this, because he suddenly made his way to the front door and both Naruto and myself watched incredulously as he slipped on his shoes and I was damn surprised when he reached for the doorknob.

"Where are you going?", I sputtered, quickly making my way to the front door and even Naruto got to his feet.

The door was roughly pulled open and before I could protest, Itachi left the house, slamming the door shut behind him without a single glance in my direction. Naruto acted before I could and immediately followed after with me a fraction of a second behind.

Naruto and I were puzzled, flabbergasted even, because what greeted us upon opening the door was nothing but an empty front yard and silence. I narrowed my gaze in confusion as Naruto and I silently tried to piece the puzzle together.

"He's extremely fast", Naruto said in disbelief as we both searched the area from the front door we left ajar, "I really can't see him anywhere", he admitted as he moved to lean against the threshold of the entrance.

A shaky sigh escaped my lips and in anger, I punched the wall beside me so hard that my knuckles ached in protest, "_I pushed him too much, didn't I?_", I whispered more to myself than anything as I made my way out onto the veranda.

"He'll come back", Naruto reassured, his tone firm.

The streets were surprisingly empty for the time of day only being afternoon, so it would have been easy to spot Itachi and his dark clothing even from quite a distance, but there really was no trace of him anywhere. Naruto closed the front door of the house and then moved to stand beside me, leaning on the railing with his elbows. I could feel his eyes searching my face for a few moments and from my peripherals, it appeared as though he were trying to find words to comfort me, but was having a hard time doing so.

In all honesty, it was calming to know that he was there for me, even if he had nothing to say.

"Want to come stay over? My mom said she misses you", Naruto said with a grin and I smirked at his words as I let my gaze fall to my hand. I recalled the injury Itachi recieved from the plates, the way he appeared as if you'd touch him, he'd crumble away, his borderline violent outbursts, the blood on his shirt, th-

"You're doing it again", Naruto snorted with his brow raised, pulling me from my thoughts.

I stood up straight, placing my hands in the pockets of my jeans and made my way inside the house, "Doing what?", I asked over my shoulder and left the door open for Naruto who followed behind me.

" 'Dunno, just zoning out, I guess?", Naruto shrugged as he closed the door behind him and moved to sit on the armchair across from where I sunk into the cushions of the couch, "It's weird, because you never used to do that until the incident".

"Really?", I questioned without any real interest.

"Yeah, you've definitely changed in more ways than one. I've never seen this side of you before", Naruto admitted and I could feel his eyes on my back and I assumed that he was awaiting some sort of reaction, but to be honest, I've already forgotten how the old me would have reacted to such words.

"I see", was all I said in reply.

Silence fell between us and I couldn't bring myself to cut it as my thoughts drifted back to Itachi and I stared blankly at the t.v, watching my silhouette as I tried to piece everything together and I was so immersed in thought for whoever knows how long, that I didn't even realize that Naruto was leaving until the sound of the door closing brought me back to reality. I knew that he was just trying to give me space to collect myself, but I still couldn't help feeling guilty as I stood from the couch and made my way to the kitchen, "I'll have to call him later", I mumbled to myself as I searched the fridge for something to eat in order to get my mind off of things.

A grimace painted my features as I eyed the contents of my fridge, losing my appetite. The house was silent, eeriely so and it made the entire trek up the stairs that much more ominous, however I continued on until I was in my room and sitting at my computer desk.

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I realized that there was absolutely nothing to do and it made me regret not going to Naruto's in the first place. I mean, I wasn't one to care for my friends' parents on an emotional level, but with Kushina it was different. She was exactly like Naruto, just older and a lot more violent. Minato was quite nice as well, he was calm, kind, and had a nack for creating things- especially childrens toys and figurines. I smiled as I glanced toward my bookshelf to my right and then to the figure that Minato made me for my 10th birthday; A purple, skeletal figure with peircing golden eyes.

Honestly, Naruto's entire family was bright and welcoming, like a breath of fresh air, or like the sun at it's highest peak. Warm, loving.. and happy. Of fucking course I just had to turn it all dark and depressing, didn't I? Bad Sasuke.

"What do you mean, 'Bad Sasuke'?", came a chuckle from the doorway and it startled me to find Mother standing there with a smile and my cheeks burned slightly, "Come downstairs and help me put some things away."

I watched as Mother disappeared down the stairs, knowing that it meant that I really had no room to argue. I wasn't going to complain, but that was probably due to the fact that I was wondering just exactly how she managed to enter the house so damn silently.

As I followed after Mother and made my way into the kitchen, I watched her back all along the way as she hummed happily to herself and I wondered just exactly how I was going to break it to her that Itachi left.

"You can take care of the food that belongs in the fridge and I will put away the pantry items, alright?", Mother smiled happily, already packing away canned goods and various new spices into the pantry beside the fridge. I couldn't help but notice that she had bought quite a few cartons of cranberry juice; Itachi's favorite.

The expression on her face alleviated some of the weight on my shoulders, even more so knowing that Uncle Izuna had most likely given her some great advice or whatever it is that that he did to miraculously pull her from these random spouts of depression.

I fished out a head of lettuce from the grocery bag and placed it in the crisper as I thought about Uncle Izuna. If I asked, would he enlighten me as to how he knows exactly what I had to do to get Mother out of her moods? Or was it simply because her and Izuna were close? I had to know, because right now, I was about to pull the cat right out of the bag and wave it in front of her.

"Itachi's gone", I said under my breath, almost hoping that Mother didn't hear, but she definitely did as the can she had been holding was suddenly on the floor, rolling across the tile and coming to a stop at my heel.

Guilt washed over me as Mother's expression was wiped clean, her smile replaced with a worried frown as she turned to face me, "What do you mean he's gone?", she asked almost urgently, crossing her arms over her chest as if to calm the light tremors that began to shake her small frame.

".. he just put on his shoes and left without saying anything", I admitted reluctantly, watching in anticipation as many different emotions flashed across her face, before finally deciding on anger.

"And you just let him walk out?", she questioned with her tone raised as she lifted her hands in exasperation, "Damn it, Sasuke! _Itachi is sick!_", she turned towards the counter and slammed her palms against it's surface and I flinched at the sound, watching at she let her head droop, as the weight of the news fell heavy upon her shoulders.

"It's not my fault", I retorted, upset with the fact that she was cross with me over something that I had no control over, "What should I have done? Calmly ask him to stay? Reason with him in a soft manner like you tried to over the past few weeks?", I began and even though I knew these words were as low as I could possibly dig, I did not stop.

"_Sasuke.. that's enough_", Mother warned, her small frame shaking more along with every word that escaped my lips in an furious rant.

"He's obviously not the person we knew anymore!", I was shouting by now, "He would never hurt you, or me, or himself!".

I heard the slap before I felt it, my head snapping to the side from the sheer force of the hand that connected with my right cheek. It hurt, but what hurt more, was the fact that that was the first time in my life that Mother had struck me and it was all for something that I couldn't control. I burned holes in the floor between us with my gaze.

And to think that I kept silent in order to spare her feelings. What a load of shit.

"_S-Sasuke, I'm.._", she sputtered, unable to finish as she drew her hand away and then brought it to her chest in what I could only assume was guilt.

I slowly shook my head as she reached for me in an apologetic manner, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the proper words to say, but she couldn't. I knew she couldn't and even if she did, there was no fucking way in hell that I'd accept it.

"Funny..", I began quietly as I lifted my head, glaring at her softly, "Looks like Itachi's not the only one who's losing it".

The venom in my words seemed to have the affect that I was looking for as Mother froze in place, giving me enough time to exit the kitchen, go to my bedroom and gather a few things in my backpack, then leave the house all together. I didn't even hear her call after me as I left, slamming the front door shut behind me.

The farther that I walked down the street and away from the house, the more I began to calm down. A part of me wanted to turn back and apologize now that my blood was no longer boiling, however the other part of me was exceedingly stubborn in a way that I had begun to irritate even myself.

"Shit..", I sighed, running a hand through my bangs as I used the other to adjust the bag that I had hastily thrown over my shoulder and I let my gaze travel to the sky that was now beginning to show hues of pink and purple.

I searched the streets for any sign of Itachi as I walked, before finding myself in the park. I wandered around aimlessly through the court that Itachi and I would frequent a few months ago to play basketball, however I did not see a sign of him anywhere. I always knew he was quick on his feet, however I never imagined him to be quick enough to seemingly vanish without a trace.

As I left the basketball court and walked along a paved path that lead deeper into the wooded area of the park, I mentally berated myself over the fact that it wasn't just Itachi giving Mother a hard time, it was me as well. That fact was undeniably true. Depressed, I pushed my thoughts away and decided that perhaps doing some reminiscing will give me the will to be there for Mother and Itachi , without all of the unnecessary emotions attached.

The park had been quiet for the most part as I found an empty bench near a creek that peacefully flowed downhill. I often came to this very place with Itachi when we were younger to catch small frogs and garter snakes, but never once was I able to catch a single one. I almost smiled at the memory, before I slipped into another one. A memory of a time where life was straightforward, happy, perfect. Where everything was normal.

After a long while, the last few rays of sunlight was barely peeking over the horizon and the temperature had begun to cool down enough where it pulled me from my thoughts. I resisted the urge to shiver at the light breeze that crept into my clothing as I reached into my bag to pull out my cellphone and hoodie.

I pulled the hoodie over my head, before checking the time on my phone as I lifted my bag, throwing it over my shoulder. I began to walk toward the general direction of Naruto's home, as my own home seemed the least appealing to me right now, especially after I made a big scene by leaving with my bag. I knew that I was being stubborn and perhaps slightly immature, however I refused to return home after everything that transpired between mother and I. After all, she was the onein the wrong, wasn't she?

The park was what Naruto and I had deemed a half-way point between both of our houses, so it didn't take very long before I found myself at the front door of the Uzumaki residance. Naruto's house was quite large, though small in comparison to mine, however if I had a choice in which to live in, I would without a doubt choose Naruto's over my own. Deep inside, I knew that my choice wasn't due to the home itself, but more-so the people who resided in it.

Though I'd never tell.

I lifted a hand and gave the door two sharp knocks, placing my cellphone into my pocket and searching for an excuse as to the reason why I was here at nearly 7pm. Surely, Naruto's parents must have already recieved a call from my mother and I inwardly cursed at the thought. The door was opened and out poured light from inside of the home and the comforting aroma of Kushina's homemade cooking greeted me before I could even see who it was that had answered the door.

"Hello Sasuke, I had a feeling that you would be stopping by sooner or later", came the smooth voice of Minato as he swung the door open all of the way with a smile. I knew that he would probably want answers, however he merely invited me inside and said nothing more. I was grateful for that.

I removed my shoes in the foyer as Minato closed the door behind me before inviting me to take a seat on the livingroom couch. I was beginning to feel awkward at the silence, knowing full well that he must have already spoken with mother, seeing as he was curiously eyeing my bag while he sat down in the armchair across from me.

"You see..", I began awkwardly, however Minato simply smiled and began to speak before I could even find the right words to portray to him.

"Sasuke, you don't have to feel obligated to tell me your reasons just because I've invited you inside, just know that you're always welcome in this home", I visibally relaxed after hearing those words, "On a related note, Naruto is out and about until he decides to come home, but you're welcome to stay", Minato added. I inwardly sighed, cursing at myself for not even thinking about texting Naruto before I arrived.

"Thanks", was all I said in reply and Minato smiled, knowing full well that I was a man of few words around certain people. I just hoped that he didn't take my silence negatively.

"Dinner was late today since Naruto insisted on eating out somewhere, but it will be ready soon. Have you already eaten?", he smiled as the light hum of Kushina's voice could be heard in the background along with plates being set upon the table.

The Uzumaki residence was definitely a warm, welcoming place that never failed to lift my spirits and I knew that I could always count on Minato, Kushina, and Naruto.

"No, I haven't", I answered truthfully.

* * *

**[A/N:] I accept criticism. **


	3. You're not a burden

ooooo

**Shadow of a Former Sun**

Chapter Three

_ "You're not a burden"_

* * *

The bright aura that hung over the Uzumaki house always had the ability to make me forget about my problems for a while - it was my safe place away from home, but this time I wasn't so sure. Dinner with Naruto's parents was sobering and it reminded me that the last time I had eaten with my family, dishes were smashed and father left without a word. No words drifted between Naruto's parents and I as we ate and a part of me was thankful for that, however those occasional glances that were silently shared between them didn't go unnoticed by me.

I knew that they were trying to respect my privacy by not asking questions and it was one of my favourite qualities that they had, but this was making me nervous.

I mean, what was I supposed to tell them? Mom and Kushina were good friends and they probably talked, but mom would never go too much into detail about our family matters, especially if it concerned Itachi. So, that left me at a loss.

I couldn't exactly tell them that Itachi might or might not have completely lost his shit, because as far as I knew it, they were only told that Itachi was simply ill. I mean, where would I even start?

_'So, Itachi decided to flip his sanity switch on us and that caused my mom to fall back into her old unhealthy habits and dad decided to fuck off when everything got tough'_

Right.

Kushina cleared her throat and I then realized that I had stopped eating quite a while ago and instead poked at my food with my fork. With my lip pressed into a thin line, I placed the fork on my plate and looked up at Kushina and nothing but concern swam within the eyes that stared back at me.

"So Sasuke, how have things been with you lately?", she asked in that chipper tone of hers.

Ah, Uzumaki. You're all the same.

With my throat suddenly going dry under the weight of the question, I brought my glass of water to my lips and took a sip while I thought of how I should answer. Kushina must have sensed my discomfort, because her smile softened as she looked back down at her plate. Even without saying anything, I knew from her inquiring gaze alone that she already had an inkling of what was going on.

The tension in the room weighed on my shoulders and my palms clammed up under the pressure. Though perhaps it was just me overthinking again, forever a slave to my own anxieties.

Minato excused himself from the table and took his emply plate with him to the sink. As he reached the counter and put on his apron, I couldn't help but notice just how much it actually suited him. If Kushina were to wear it, the salmon color wouldn't match her boyish personality one bit.

"You know, Sasuke, your Mother called us earlier and said that you would be stopping by some time", Minato said as he prepared the sink for dirty dishes. I shrunk in on myself slightly, looking off somewhere to the side without actually seeing what it was that I was looking at.

Of course she would call them. It's not like I had anywhere else to go in the first place.

"Dear, you shouldn't just drop bombs on him like that, you know?", Kushina sighed as she too, got to her feet with her empty plate. I did the same, albiet slowly trudging along behind her as Minato began speaking.

"I just thought would be in his best interests to know that she seemed quite upset over the phone- I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't mean to sound rude", Minato faced me with an apologetic look as he held out his hand and gestured toward my plate that was still half full; he must have guessed that I didn't really have much of an appetite.

I offered to clean it myself, however he happily obliged and said that I should make myself comfortable in the livingroom. Sparing them one last look while they did the dishes, I made my way into the livingroom and hoped to all things holy that my anxiety didn't upset my stomach in someone else's house. Once in the livingroom, I made my way to the window across from the kitchen and pulled aside the green curtain. I surveyed the front yard through my transparent relfection in the glass.

The sun had already gone down and the weather was bound to cool some more with it being autumn. I couldn't help the unsettled feeling that set in my bones when I recalled that Itachi hastily left the house without a jacket, being as thin and sickly as he was. Mother was most likely on the porch, anxiously smoking with her phone in her hand and I hated myself for it. But what was I supposed to do? Tackle Itachi to the floor and tell him not to go? I knew that he would have snapped if I tried to go anywhere near him. If mother would just look into his eyes - I mean _really_ look, she would probably see what I saw, that there was something missing in there. Something that made Itachi, well.. _Itachi_.

I felt trapped and utterly alone in this, even though I knew that there were so many people trying to support me, but there were some things that you just couldn't be open about. One of them being you know who and all of his sworn secrecy. It was fucking weird, like he had this sixth sense that always told him when and where to find me if I were to ever say anything at all.

Despite all of this, Itachi was still the most important person in my life and it was disheartening to know that perhaps underneath all of this craziness that has been going on, Itachi was shouldering it all by himself.

Just like me.

"Are you okay?", I turned around to find Kushina leaning against the threshold of the livingroom and kitchen.

I simply shrugged, unable to find the words to properly portray how depressed that I actually was. She probably understood me even without actual words to go by, because she silently moved to sit on the couch and pat the seat next to her.

In the other room, Minato hummed away to himself while doing dishes it was oddly comforting as I moved to sit in the spot next to Kushina.

"You're a strong boy, Sasuke. That's what I can sense from you", her tone and speach patterns were exactly like Naruto's, or I suppose I shoud say that he was quite similar to his mom. Almost instantly, the saying _the apple doesn't fall far from the tree_ came to mind.

"However, you need to remember that you're human and locking everything inside isn't good for the heart", she put her hand on my knee and gave it a platonic squeeze. It had me lifting my gaze from the floor to meet hers. Nothing but love and understanding swam in those midnight blue orbs that shone like starlight. Quite the contrast from Itachi's steely black pools that plagued me like some sort of disease.

"I know that things have been rough for you these past few months, but you don't have to take it upon yourself to shoulder all of this on your own", I looked away from her, already familiar with what she was going to say next. It was instantaneous really, the anxiety flooding back into my senses and I wondered if it had ever actually left in the first place.

"Your brother is going through a hard time as well and what he needs right now is for his family to be there for him"

The words cut me deep.

I _was_ trying to be there for him, but how can I truly understand him if he won't let me? I feel like Itachi has poisoned my mind in such a short amount of time that even I felt like I was beginning to lose it.

"You will be okay, because no matter what, you can always stay here if things get too tough!", She grinned and got to her feet, brushing nonexistent dust off of her clothing.

"I'm going to get ready for bed dear, but you're welcome to stay. I honestly thought when Naruto said he was going to meet up with friends, that you were included, you know? I'll have to smarten him up when he gets home", She sighed as she pulled her hair over her shoulder while making her way to the kitchen.

"Wait", I called after her, shifting on the couch awkwardly.

"Hmm?"

"It's not that idiots- It's not Naruto's fault, it's mine", she smiled at my correction, "he knew that I would just decline an invite anyway."

"Sasuke, there are times when we need our friends to be there for us"

"But-"

"This is one of those times", she grinned and left the room without another word.

All I could think about was how I locked myself up at home all summer and ignored everyone's calls. A part of me wondered if it was all due to everything that happened with Itachi and the rest of my family, or if it was just me using all of it as another excuse just to beat myself up over.

Our entire family was a little dysfunctional if I were to be completely honest.

I was too young to remember when my family along with Uncle Madara and Uncle Izuna broke off from the rest of our relatives, however this past spring was when things really began to change. I remember sitting in the living room playing video games with Itachi while our parents and uncle Madara argued about something in the kitchen. It wasn't uncommon, so I wasn't interested in the conversation, but maybe it was also because Itachi caught me eavesdropping and told me to stop being such a snoop.

Apparently though, Uncle Madara wasn't allowed in the house after that and every time I asked for the reason, father always said 'There is no place in my house for people who fall off the deep end.'

Itachi and I thought nothing of it and simply shrugged it off as a brother's quarrel, but I'll be damned that it was only a short few weeks later that Itachi himself had rolled right out after him. I honestly began to wonder if our family was just cursed with bad luck, because we were horrible people in a past life or maybe god just turned his back on us. I mean, things weren't always terrible and it's not like I had an extremely shitty childhood or anything, because I always had Itachi.

Well, at least I used to.

Feeling a wave of depression manifesting in the form of a headache, I pulled out my phone and began to dial Naruto's number. I figured that being anywhere else was better than being stuck in my own head right now.

"Hello?", he answered after a few short rings.

"What's up?", I asked while picking off a small piece of lint on my jeans and inspecting it between my fingers.

"You're asking me what's up? You hardly ever call me! You just show up at my house or something", he sounded amused, his tone light.

"I'm at your house right now", I said and glanced over my shoulder toward the kitchen where Minato and Kushina were most likely talking about me.

"What? Why are you even at my house, I'm not even there", Naruto sounded surprised and you could hear others talking in the background.

"I know that, dumbass. What are you up to?", I ran a hand through my hair, feeling frustrated over the fact that I hastily made my way over to Naruto's without planning in the first place.

"I'm at Shikamaru's place. His parents are out for the night so he's having some people over", Naruto paused for a moment, "You down to join or what?"

"I'll be there in about an hour more or less", I didn't even hesitate to answer him and I hung up before I could even hear his reply.

I hardly talked to anyone besides Naruto all summer after everyone else began to pick at my weak points when Itachi first got sick. Ok, maybe they didn't pick at my weak points, but they knew how touchy I was about anything that has to do with my family. Long story short, I got tired of hearing things like 'wow, are you okay? You and Itachi were so close'. People kept coming up and apologizing to me, speaking to me as if Itachi had died or something.

Then again, he was never the brother that I knew after that.

All in all, I never appreciated anyone sticking their heads into my business, which was ironic considering that it was all that I have been doing to Itachi lately.

I was such a hypocrite.

"So, you'll be joining Naruto and the gang?" I turned around to see Minato standing there holding out my backpack and I wanted to cry at his choice of words.

"Yeah.. I don't mean to leave after you both were kind enough to put up with me", I said slowly as I grabbed my bag from Minato and swung it over my shoulder. I averted my gaze to my feet, as it never failed to surprise me how I was always so docile when it came to Naruto and his family.

"Hey, no hard feelings, alright? I'll tell Kushina you'll stay over another night- she was excited to make breakfast tomorrow since you haven't been around for a while" Minato grinned and I couldn't help but return it.

"I'll definitely come by, she makes pancakes even better than my mom does" I admitted while I put on my shoes at the foyer.

"Alright, don't be a stanger, okay? Take care of yourself", Minato opened the door for me and I walked out, bidding him farewell and a thank you for the food.

* * *

It wasn't long before I found myself sitting alone at the bus stop down the street from Naruto's, gazing up at the night sky while pulling my arms closer together against the cool autumn breeze. If I really thought about it, I knew that this wasn't the time for going out with friends and having a good time. I cursed under my breath as I shoved my hands in the pockets of my hoodie, thinking about just what it was that had started this whole mess to begin with.

"Life sucks", I mumbled and shut my eyes, shivering against the cool wind that bit at my skin.

"Fucking tell me about it", a voice called from beside me. Startled, I opened my eyes and whipped my head toward the direction it came from.

God knows how he had gotten there without me noticing, but a man was sitting on the bench next to me, leaning forward slightly with one knee crossed over the other. Even though his head was cocked in my direction, is eyes weren't on me, but instead locked on the cigarette that hung loosely between his pale fingers.

"Every day is the same god damn thing over and over again", the man mumbled, trailing off slightly.

He wore a simple grey tshirt and I couldn't help but wonder if he was cold. The dark jeans he had on were worn out at the knees and neatly tucked into black boots. His hair fell over his eyes slightly and it was an odd shade of grey with ashy undertones.

Steadying my pounding heart, I released a breath that I hadn't realized that I had been holding and relaxed back into the bench, "Shit, you scared the hell out of me", I admitted, still feeling the effects of the sudden adrenaline.

The man grinned to himself and I couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to put some space between us.

"Don't mind me, I just thought that I may as well strike up a conversation, is that so bad?", his voice was deep and it drawled out as he spoke.

"Well, no..", I said as I looked away from him and pulled out my phone to check the time in an attempt to ignore the man, silently hoping that he would get the point.

"Ah, I've made you uncomfortable", the man asked as he flicked his cigarette, though his tone suggested that he wasn't interested in my answer in the slightest.

"You just really lack presence", I said as craned my head slightly while trying not to make it obvious that I was checking for the bus.

The man threw his head back in laughter, his raspy voice and odd demeanour having me raise a brow, "I've definitely been told that before", he mused.

I didn't like this man

I mean, I was never a social person to begin with and tended to avoid most people, but even I could tell that there was just something fundamentally wrong with this fellow. The aura he gave off was nearly as cold as the autumn breeze around us, despite his light attempts at conversation.

".. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm really not in the mood for conversation right now", I stood up from the bench, fed up with sitting next to the stranger.

"Family problems?", his lips curled up into a smile.

"I don't have to explain myself to you", I spat, turning away from the man; I pulled out my phone once more to check the time.

"Right on the mark, huh? You absolutely reek of teenage angst", he chuckled and I simply glared at him, livid.

"I didn't mean to pick at your wounds, Sasuke, my bad my bad", he laughed loudly and the sound of it got on my nerves and I didn't even look over my shoulder at him when I replied.

"You're a real piece aren't you? Do you enjoy talking to teenagers in empty bus stops at night? That's some questionable behaviour, don't you think?", the bus came into view down the street and I couldn't thank the gods more at this moment.

For all I knew, this crazy fucker could snap and murder me for the shit that I pulled. However, he only seemed to laugh harder and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was so damn funny.

A few short moments pass by before the man speaks and I simply try to ignore him in hopes that the damn bus down the street would hurry on faster.

" I used to be fucking miserable too man, I'll tell you that", He paused as if waiting for an answer, but he just continued while reaching into his pocket and pulling out another cigarette. I turned to look at him as he was lighting it, wondering exactly when it was that I asked for his fucking life story.

"I had shitty parents and I mixed in with some really bad people, you know? You might be thinking drugs and stuff, right? But no, these guys were absolute beasts", He turned to look at me, all humour gone from his face and I tensed under his intimidating gaze.

"But that is what makes them so great! Well, some of them at least. There are a few who make me want to rip their heads clean off", his smile was back and I couldn't help but think that this guy was completely out of his mind.

"Oh, I see..", I nodded, all previous attitude that I held now gone as I was unable to find the proper words to reply to this man, or if I should even be replying to him at all.

"Once you get over the initial shock of everything, that's when shit gets real good", He randomly stated while he trailed off, eyes lost in some memory.

I could only remain silent as there was absolutely nothing that I could glean from such a vague, hopelessly one-sided conversation with this complete stranger.

"You feel like you got the entire world right there in your hands", He sighed in content and looked at me in a way that made me feel like I should know just exactly what it was that he was talking about.

I averted my gaze from his when his eyes seemed to trail along my body and I no longer felt comfortable in his presence; I regretted ever speaking to him in the first place. I debated on whether or not I should just skip the bus and walk away. In my peripherals, he was tapping a dark nail on his knee and I could feel his gaze burning holes straight through me.

"Well, thanks for hearing me out, it's nice to talk to someone normal once in a while", he got to his feet and it was then that I realized he was a whole head and a half taller than I was.

"..Don't worry about it", I mumbled.

The headlights from the bus grew brighter and bathed the side of his face in florescent light and I was surprised to find his eyes to be a shocking shade of purple. The smile on his face grew into a smirk and I couldn't help but notice his eyes darken as the bus stopped right beside us.

The doors opened and the driver waited patiently for me to get on, but I couldn't seem to find it in me to move.

"Right on time", the man stated in a monotonous voice, his expression somewhat smug as he took a long drag of his cigarette and the cherry illuminated his face in a soft orange hue.

"You hopping on or not, son?", The bus driver asked as I cautiously stepped away from the man in front of me to get on the bus.

It was like my brain had short circuited and for a moment, I simply stared at the driver and then shook my head while jabbing a thumb over my shoulder, "Yeah sorry, we were just talking about.. actually I don't even know what we were talking about.."

The driver had both brows raised as he looked over my shoulder and I followed his gaze. The strange man with silver hair was gone, leaving nothing but a still lit cigarette laying on the sidewalk.

"But he was just-"

"Look, if you're not going to find a seat, hop on out. I've got a schedule to follow"

Perplexed, I mechanically made my way to the seat at the very end of the bus and gazed out of the window. My expression reflected in the glass looked disturbed and then I focused my attention on the bench where the man and I were sitting at.

As we drove away, there was one thought that had me shivering right to the bones.

How had he known my name?

* * *

Shikamaru had a relatively large house standing at three stories and there was a bathroom on each floor too, which I always thought was amusing as it suited his lazy personality quite well. As I reached his place, I couldn't help but notice that his driveway was vacant as I walked across the asphalt and then toward the side of the house.

On the side of the house, there was a small path that led to the backyard with an arch of vines, though they were dried up and appeared almost eerie due to the cooling weather. The yard never failed to impress me as it was filled with trees and all kinds of vegetation in the summer; it may have very well been something akin to a small forest and if I could recall correctly, there was a koi pond somewhere.

At night though, this place was a bitch to navigate through.

I cursed under my breath after nearly tripping over a tree root, questioning why they haven't put in any lights out here. Squinting through the darkness, I could make out the faint glow of a fire just through the thick brush ahead. I could already hear everyone talking amongst themselves and half of me wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. After all, the impending awkwardness that I felt was hard to deal with. I haven't seen anyone besides Naruto over summer break and I was positive that some were probably upset with me for it, especially after the fallout we had.

I suppose it was my fault though, since I just kind of fell off the face of the earth and spent most of my time at home. It wasn't like it was my intention, but I just didn't feel the same after seeing one of Itachi's first meltdowns- no one in my family was. He had gone absolutely wild after we tried to take him to the hospital to get checked out; Breaking anything that he could get his hands on.

Itachi didn't calm down until we told him that we wouldn't take him and that was when Dad decided that we would just leave him to his own devices. It was obvious that Itachi needed help, but our parents just turned a blind eye and hoped that everything would just blow over the fucking hill. I decided then that if they wouldn't stand for him, then I would, but he just locked himself away in his room. After that, any time Itachi was mentioned, it just kind of set me off.

And now here I was, after an entire summer of little to no contact with any of my friends, at a party with half of them. I'd honestly be willing to go through another one of Itachi's crazy moodswings than have to deal with something as awkward as this.

By now, I was just outside the small clearing where everyone was sitting around the fire and the spot where I stood was concealed perfectly within the shadows. Ino, Chouji, Lee, Sai, Naruto, Kiba, Sakura, Shikamaru; they were all circled around the fire.

I knew that if I went in there now, the mood would be ruined, but it was too late to back out with my tail between my legs. After all, For the time being I really didn't have much of a choice as this was probably my last place of refuge or I would have to return home- something that I really did not want to do.

A few moments of silence pass by as I listened to the lame jokes that filled the clearing and I broke through the line of trees with a nervous step. All chatter ceased and everyone turned to look at me with a mixture of different emotions on each of their faces, but surprise was the most dominant.

I'm guessing Naruto didn't tell anyone that I was coming.

"Hey..", I greeted quietly.

There was no immediate response and it made my hands clam up, but there were some waves here and there due to the fact that no one really knew how to react. This entire trip was a mistake. Honestly, my bed and a hot tea sounds so fucking good to me right now.

"Oh hey, you made it!" Naruto stood up from his spot on a log.

"Yeah, I thought that I would come out for once..", I lied as I sat down at the chair that Naruto offered me.

I let my eyes flicker over the faces around the fire; Ino and Sai sat together, in a way. It was more like Sai prodding the logs in the fire with a metal rod and Ino roasting marshmallows off to the side. Across the fire, Lee, Kiba, and Chouji argued over who would get the last hotdog and it put a small smile on my face. Apparently I just missed Hinata and Neji and Shikamaru was charging his cellphone inside the house.

I still didn't feel comfortable, nor was I exactly relaxed, but I tried to push those feelings aside as best as I could. I glanced at Naruto, who was already looking at me with worry swimming in his gaze and I knew that with what had happened earlier, he was probably still concerned about it. I gave him a shrug and looked at the fire, hoping that he would just let it go.

"Hello, Sasuke", a voice called from behind me, one that could only belong to none other than Sakura herself, "We haven't talked in a while, how have you been?"

If I remembered correctly, I had blown up at her first when she confronted me about Itachi. Everyone was upset with me afterwards for making her cry and I couldn't help but feel guilty seeing the weary look on her face as she waited for my answer.

"Stressed, I guess", I said without looking away from the fire while she sat down next to me. I watched as a burst of embers disappeared into the navy sky when Sai threw another log into the fire. The bark slowly turned black as it burned and I related to it in some kind of fucked up way.

Fuck, she was still talking.

"-friends, right? I just want to be there for you like Naruto is, so I was wondering if me being a girl had anything to do with it. I know I had a thing for you back in first grade, but things are different now", She said in a light tone.

What the hell was she on about?

"Why does being a girl even have anything to do with it?" I looked away from the fire and then to Sakura to find that a few heads were turned our way. "Let's not do this right now, alright?"

The taste of iron rested at the back of my throat, but it was probably caused by how tightly I clenched my teeth. Sakura seemed unsure of how to proceed and I slumped back into my chair in silence, hoping that she would take the hint.

For five entire minutes, she sat there and the longer she did, the worse that I felt for making her upset. I mean, it's not like I asked to be short-tempered, or it wasn't like I was trying to be the way that I was.

"Look", I sighed angrily, "I'm not mad at you, alright? I'm just tired of people treating me like I'm breakable or something", I said as I picked up a random twig from the ground and tossed it into the fire, trying to look anywhere else besides her, "Yeah, I've got issues, but we all do every now and then, right? So let's just leave it at that".

The tension in the air was so thick that it could have been visible to the naked eye, twisting and swirling over our heads. I mean, I've always had behaviour problems and struggled with depression and all that seemed to skyrocket after Itachi had his first mental breakdown. It wasn't long after that when I realized just how much I really depended on him. He was my rock, he kept me grounded.

With that gone, what was I? Nothing but a whiny coward who pitied himself and blamed others for his problems.

I could see Sakura fidgeting from my peripherals, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the right words to say to me, but she couldn't. Instead, she gave a small smile as she stood and then made her way over to where Ino and Sai sat.

Shikamaru had already returned at this point, his entry given away by the audible sigh that I heard over my shoulder. I watched him as he sauntered over to a cooler on the other side of Naruto and then pulled out two cans of beer before he spoke.

"No one's treating you like you're breakable, man. Everyone knows that you got some shit on your plate that you need to deal with, but instead of talking about it, you just shut us all out and went awol for half the summer- we hardly even talk at school anymore" My face fell for a moment, before I fixed my gaze on him.

"What did you expect? For me to put my guts out on the table for everyone to see?", I lifted a hand in exasperation and from my peripherals, Sakura flinched. By now, everyone had gone silent.

"It's because you're our friend", All eyes were on Naruto and everything fell quiet between us. The words were heavy, but heavy in a way that was undeniably true. The look on his face was so sincere that it was frustrating. I glared at the fire, for once unable to find anything to say. Shikamaru was the first to speak up.

"You've changed, you know? You're a lot more temperamental than you were before", he tossed me a can of beer that I hadn't been expecting and I fumbled to catch it before it fell, "I mean, no one is asking you to tell us what's goin' on, but you can rely on us more, you know?"

"You say that, but I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore" I admitted, placing my palms over my face while feeling utterly defeated.

I felt something cold touch my cheek and looked up to find Shikamaru holding out a can of beer for me to take, however his gaze was somewhere off to the side, "Itachi means everything to you, we understand that", he began in a quiet voice.

"I mean, you guys were so close that as your friend, I'm honestly a bit jealous", he smirked as he took a sip of his beer and moved to sit in the seat next to me.

"He was your safe place and when someone loses their safe place, they feel lost and alone- like the entire world is against them", Shikamaru spoke.

Frustrated, I crack open my beer and down the entire thing in one go, before leaning back in my chair. At this point, the others began talking among themselves once again and for the moment, I felt that it was just me and Shikamaru.

"I just want to help him somehow, or at least find someone that can help him- he's lost so much weight and he's not eating", I admitted and Shikamaru cracked open his beer, before he handed it to me with an apologetic look. I accepted the beer, knowing it was offered as his own silent way of saying that he was there for me.

"Have you tried getting him to a doctor? If it's really as bad as you say..", Shikamaru fixated his gaze on the fire in front of us, when Naruto decided to take the seat on the other side of me.

"That's the thing, he absolutely refuses to go and my mom has been listening to his every word, since she thinks that this is something that will pass", I sighed.

Shikamaru looked away from the fire and then glanced between Naruto and I, "What about the cops? I'm sure if it was-"

"We tried", Both Naruto and I said in unison. Shikamaru gave us a strange look when he saw the grim expressions on our faces, but he simply exhaled through his nose, at a complete loss much like myself.

I shook my head slightly before downing the rest of my beer and Naruto watched with a brow raised. I didn't come here to speak about Itachi nor my family, I had actually come here to forget about all of that bullshit for even just a little while. Alcohol might not have been the wisest of choices, but it's not like I was a heavy drinker in the first place.

"Let's just forget about it for a while and enjoy one of the rare times that both of your parents are gone", I smirked, leaning back into my seat as Shikamaru lit up a cigarette.

"Now there is an idea", Shikamaru smiled.

* * *

The longer I stayed seated around the fire with everyone else, the more that I relaxed and even began to socialize; Perhaps it was only due to the copious amounts of beer that I was drinking, but it was better than berating myself over what step to take next. It was nearly two in the morning and the only people left sitting around the dying fire were Shikamaru, Naruto, Sai, and myself.

"I mean, it's not like you missed much while you were being emo anyways", Naruto slurred as he elbowed me in the ribs lightly and I took a swig of the liquor he offered me.

"I was out of the city all summer visiting my girlfriend", Shikamaru chimed in with a grin plastered on his face and I couldn't help the sly smirk that rose to my features.

"Oh, so you finally lost your virginity?", Sai spoke with eyes full of mischeif and I really couldn't contain my laughter and pat Sai on the back for succesffuly making the ever-so-calm Shikamaru flustered.

"That dark humour of yours..", I managed to wheeze out, "Is precisely why I love you"

"Man, screw you guys", Shikamaru huffed, his face red as he turned his gaze over to the small fire in embarrassment.

Silence had followed after as Shikamaru rose to pick up more firewood and place it into the pit, however the humorous atmosphere still hung in the air. I relaxed into my chair, feeling lighter than ever as I watched the flame slowly rise and it felt warm. Not just the fire, but also the comforting presence of three of my closest friends and I wondered why I ever thought that it would be a good idea to let all of this go.

"I'm sorry", I said absentmindenly and it wasn't until the three of them turned to look at me that I realized that I had just said that out loud, "I mean.. about everything"

Surprisingly, Sai was the first one to speak and Shikamaru turned back to tend to the fire, already having said what he needed to say when I first arrived in the clearing.

"I know that you don't like to talk about yourself and keep people at a certain distance, but I guess we all have our own ways that we deal with things", he began, "Like me for example, I use art as my escape and Shikamaru over there, well he smokes too much-"

"I do not"

"-Naruto cheers himself up by going to eat his favourite food and he surrounds himself with people that he cares about-"

"Believe it"

"-And well, you tend to close yourself off and try to work out everything all on your own and even though it may take you a while, that doesn't make you as much of a bastard as you probably think it does. You want to know why? You just care too much for your own good. Out of all of the people that I've known; You, the person that everybody calls the Ice Prince, feels the most".

To say that I was speechless was an understatement and I looked over at Sai incredulously. Hell, even Naruto and Shikamaru had their gazes fixated on him like he was some sort of divine being that sat before us.

"Your burden, Uchiha Sasuke, is that you yourself do not want to be a burden", Sai looked me straight in the eye and his words held conviction within them.

Naruto blinked and raised his arms in surprise, holding both hands towards Sai as if to hold him before he looked back and forth between Shikamaru and I, "..Are we just going to sit here in silence and pretend that we didn't just witness the most wholesome fucking thing I've ever heard in my life?"

Shikamaru whistled, before raising his brows in awe, "I think that is the most that I've ever heard you talk at one time and it wasn't an insult for once"

"You're probably the first person to ever tell me all of that", I admitted, still taken aback.

"Really? What did I say...?", Sai looked confused as he polished off the rest of his own drink and placed the empty red cup on the ground next to him, "Cause I'm actually pretty drunk if I were to be completely honest.. I don't think I should drive home"

"..Are you serious?", Naruto suddenly said, craning his head awkwardly to look around me toward Sai who only now, actually appeared to be swaying in his seat slightly.

"I've heard that there are some people who are like that, you know? The kind that suddenly gets all intellectual and appears sober, when in reality they are absolutely trashed", Shikamaru chuckled, looking at Sai who tried to reach for another drink.

"I have heard about that", I said thoughtfully, placing my empty can in the holder attached to my lawnchair, taken away the drink that Sai was reaching for and handing it to Naruto.

"Happened to my dad at his wedding- it wasn't until years later when he told my mom that he couldn't even remember saying the vows before any of us figured it out. Boy did he ever get it after", Naruto and I chuckled a bit, while I could only imagine Yoshino flipping out on Shikaku.

"Women", I mumbled.

"No kidding..", Naruto agreed with a shiver, most likely recalling all of the times Kushina lost her temper with him.

"I'll drink to that", Shikamaru sighed, "By the way Sai, you can crash on the couch tonight."

Sai got to his feet almost mechanically, stumbling slightly as he nodded toward Shikamaru, "Won't your.. parents find out you had people over if I'm still there in the morning?", he slurred, hardly able to look Shikamaru in the eye and I wondered just how we all manage to miss the obvious state of stupor he was in.

"It''s better them getting upset with me in the morning than waking up to terrible news. Arrive alive, my friend", Shikamaru and I nodded in agreement.

"s'good.. thanks", Sai mumbled and began to set off out of the clearing and toward the house, "I assume the back door's open?"

"Indeed it is, help yourself to anything in the fridge if you want", Shikamaru called after him and Sai gave a boneless wave back as he disappeared into the trees.

As he left, the atmosphere became quiet and almost thoughtful as the three of us simply sat and stared at the fire, all of us lost in our own minds as we watched the flames flicker in the darkness. A solid ten minutes had passed before any of us looked away from the fire, idly sipping on our freshly opened beers that Shikamaru just passed around.

"Now that it's just us three.. Let me ask you something", Naruto began as he faced me, Shikamaru looking up at us from his spot across the fire, "Why did you decide to come out tonight in the first place?"

I narrowed my gaze at Naruto while speaking over the can at my lips, "_What_? I can't come hang out with my friends once in a while?"

Shikamaru sighed, "We aren't dumb, Sasuke."

A deep frown donned my lips as I set down my drink, bringing up my hands to my face as I pushed back my dark locks that suddenly seemed to cling to my forehead. I felt insecure being open about my feelings along with thoughts that went on in my head on a daily basis.

Shikamaru and Naruto were two of my closest friends, but there were just some things that couldn't be explained and I didn't want to make them think that Itachi was simply crazy; I didn't want them to think that I was crazy for keeping all of this to myself.

"I don't even know where to start", I admitted, crestfallen.

"Let's start with the reason why you went to my place", Naruto said, his tone resolute and unswerving, "We both know that when shit hits the fan, you run over to my place."

"And if Naruto's place is a no-go, mine is a last resort", Shikamaru added.

For a moment, I searched for the proper words, but I couldn't quite find which part to start out with; Itachi's breakdown at supper the night before? My dad leaving? Mother slowly unraveling before my eyes? After some thought, I decided to start with something else entirely.

"Itachi has been speaking to me lately, but I'm starting to think that maybe having his attention isn't a good thing", I began in a weary tone, my eyes nervously searching the shadows around us as I spoke, almost as if I expected Itachi to jump out at me. Shikamaru and Naruto sensed my unease, but remained silent nontheless.

"There are times where he will threaten me, or he will deliberately try to get a rise out of me. I woke up to him mumbling nonsense in my room the other night and honestly, I'm scared of him," I said quietly as both Naruto and Shikamaru shared a look, "But please don't see him as a bad person."

"Of course we wouldn't, you know very well that-", Naruto began, but was cut off by Shikamaru who had thrown an empty can at his head with a very audible thunk. I could have laughed, but right now the lid that I had kept on everything for so long was finally open.

"Itachi had a very strict upbringing as the first born son and he was always pressured into doing what was best for the family by our Father", my voice shook slightly and I damned alcohol for being a depressant as my emotions began to seep into my voice.

For Itachi, I was his safe place and he would often come to me for simple things like going to the park or watching a movie; it was a chance for him to be something other than the prodigy that every one saw him as- he could just be plain old Itachi when we were together", I trailed off slightly, lost in the simple times.

"I always envied the relationship you guys had.. I'm an only child, but if I ever had a sibling, I wish that we could be even half as close as you and Itachi were", Naruto admitted quietly, though he quickly sobered and appeared apologetic, however I simply continued.

"When everything changed, I thought that it was all about him finally snapping underneath all the weight that he carried by himself, but now.. I think it's so much more than that", I looked up from my hands that we anxiously clasped together in my lap and looked at the fire.

"What do you mean?", Shikamaru asked with an inquiring gaze, one so open that you could almost see the cogs turning in his head the longer that I talked.

"These are the things that I cannot explain..", I paused for a moment as Naruto leaned forward slightly in anticipation, as this was the precise information that I was trying to tell him about before Itachi had interrupted us in the livingroom.

"Sometimes, I can hear him talking in his room at night, but it's never like the first time that I heard it happen.. not one bit", my voice sounded disturbed as I lost myself in the memory that still haunted me, speaking as I went along.

_~o~_

_The day passed by like any other summer day with me hardly doing anything at all besides dying from the heat on the couch in the livingroom. I was thankful that the sun had already started to set, but the shitty heat still remained in it's wake; I knew that my friends were probably taking advantage of the summer vacation in one way or another, however I was stuck at home with nothing but myself to keep me company._

_Itachi had been acting pissy ever since he came home completely hammered a few nights ago and everyone has been in a sour mood ever since; which meant that I couldn't score any rides to go see my friends, which also meant that Mom and Dad were going to cater to his needs before mine._

_"Mom, do we still have any popsicles left? It's so fucking hot in this house..", I sighed as I lay sprawled over the couch, fanning my face with a rolled up newspaper that I found on the coffee table._

_"Oh for heaven's sake, Sasuke.. get up and check for yourself! I'm busy trying to sort out your brother's acceptance letters", I could hear Mother call from the kitchen, "And stop that swearing habit of yours, it's unpleasant!"_

_"Yeah, Yeah", I mumbled as I stood from the couch, just in time to see who had suddenly walked in the front door._

_I glanced over at Itachi who began taking off his shoes in the foyer with his back facing me, "And where were you?", I asked without any genuine curiousity as I yawned; the heat never failed to have the ability to make me groggy and irrate._

_"Nowhere", Itachi replied quietly as he placed his shoes into the shoerack and I watched as he walked toward the stairwell that I now stood beside. I couldn't help but notice how disheveled he looked as he made his way up the stairs without sparing a glance in my direction._

_"Well, I want to know where this nowhere is, because I want to be there when Dad comes home and gets mad at you for spending the night out. Again", I stated casually, before a devilish smirk appeared on my face, "Oh, you were staying with a girl, weren't you?"_

_itachi paused at the top of the stairs with a deep sigh as he glanced over his shoulder to where I stood at the bottom of the staircase, "I was not and even if I had been, I wouldn't tell you. Stop being so inappropriate", with that he disappeared into his room without another word._

_I pressed my lips into a thin line and made my way to the kitchen and straight to the fridge, shaking my head as I reached for another popsicle in the freezer, "Geez, everyone is so quick to call me inappropriate and unpleasant in this house. Ever stop to think that I'm the only one who isn't so stiff and proper all of the time?"_

_"It's good that you're so unique, Sasuke, but having some manners is something that you might want to look into", Mother smiled as she looked up from the countless letters sprawled out across the kitchen table, though I simply shrugged and left the room._

_I figured that I may as well turn in early for the night and made my way up the stairs two steps at a time with my popsicle hanging from my lips. I made my way to my bedroom down the hall and stopped infront of my door, before turning right around to face Itachi's which always seemed to be closed these days._

_Now, being the snoopy bastard I am, I took a few silent steps toward his door and placed my ear against the cool, mahoganey stained wood. I strained to listen when I heard him speaking in a whisper and I assumed that he was on the phone with his new girlfriend that he was trying to hide from us. Honestly, I was curious to know what she was like._

_"You're not real", he spoke in an almost horrified tone._

_I figured that maybe things weren't going too well with this mystery girlfriend of his, because I have never heard him so rattled before and I almost felt guilty for listening in on such a private conversation._

_Almost._

_"This is just a dream, just a terrible dream", he suddenly said and I heard something clatter on the floor, before there was a loud bang on his door that had me jump back in surprise._

_"You don't exist", he nearly cried and at this point, I was honestly concerned._

_I moved to place my ear against his door once more and this time, the colour drained from my face as another voice suddenly slithered into my ears right from the other side of the door._

_"Eavesdropping, aren't you?", It was raspy and it crawled all over my skin._

_All train of thought stopped as soon as I could hear Itachi cry out on the other side of the door and adrenaline ripped through my veins as I gripped the doorknob, shaking in anticipation before ripping it open entirely._

_"Did you need anything?", Itachi's calm voice suddenly asked and I was puzzled to find him alone, laying on his bed with a book in his hands._

_"Were you just talking on the phone?", I asked as my eyes darted around the room, my heart still pounding against my chest._

_"..No, I wasn't", Itachi replied as he looked back down at his book._

_"I thought you were talking to someone", I pushed, trying to hide my obvious unease, though failing horribly as I searched around his room with my eyes before they landed on Itachi when he didn't answer me._

_I stared at him in silence as he read three pages before he scowled at me over the brim of the hardcover he held, "If you don't need anything, close the door"_

_Mechanically, I nodded as I closed his door and made my way to my bedroom, sitting at the end of my bed confused. There had been nobody else in the room besides him and a part of me wondered if I had just hallucinated it all because of the heat, while the other part of me couldn't help but notice the redness around Itachi's eyes and the CD's that usually sat upon his windowsill that lay scattered on the floor._

_~o~_

"That's really starting to scare me.. did that really happen?", Naruto shivered, his eyes suddenly breaking away from me to scan the darkness of the trees around us, "This is some freaky ghost shit, I don't like this"

Shikamaru scrutinized me from his spot across the fire in silence and for a moment I almost felt offended, however he must have found what he was looking for as he suddenly seemed preturbed.

"I assume there is still more that you're concerned about?", Shikamaru asked and I nodded as he threw another piece of wood into the fire and watched the embers disappear into the sky.

"Is it about more ghosts? You do realize it's dead time now, right?", Naruto shook and even under the amber hue of the fire, you could tell that he had paled considerably since I began speaking.

"What is dead time?", I glanced at Naruto with a brow raised.

"Deadtime is three A.M, which is when everyone is sleeping and the other beings come out", Naruto squinted into the darkness, shifting closer to where I sat.

"I know I've said this once before, but man you're really superstitious, aren't you?", Shikamaru said as he stood from his chair and moved to sit in the empty one next to mine.

"Says the person who doesn't want to sit alone!", Naruto yelled as he shifted even closer to my seat and I rolled my eyes, already familiar with his odd mannerisms.

"Enough, let's just keep listening to Sasuke already", Shikamaru urged as he lit a cigarette and relaxed into his chair as he looked up at the sky, though I knew he would still listen.

"Well excuse me for getting scared", Naruto huffed and waved a hand for me continue.

I sat at the edge of my seat, picking up one of the metal rods that Sai had used earlier to poke at the logs that burned in the fire; I wondered what secret that I was going to reveal next, if you could even call them secrets in the first place.

"Alright, after that incident", I began in a distant tone, "Itachi sort of just shut down and gave up on everything; School, friends, family, himself. Everyone in my family was so used to see him doing well that none of us really knew how to react when he began to slip, so my parents sort of just let it slide and I guess I did too", I whispered the last part.

There was a long pause before I started speaking again.

"For the rest of the summer, Itachi got worse and I felt so guilty for not knowing how to be there for him and I gave up trying to figure him out. I mean, until he had practically risen from the dead two nights ago. You know.. my dad ended up leaving after that" , I said quietly as I picked up a random twig from the ground and tossed it into the fire.

"Seriously?", Naruto's brows knit together in shock, "What happened?"

"Itachi happened", the words came out slow and careful, "It's like he has no regard for himself at all anymore. Ended up slicing his hand open on dishes that he himself smashed, but that's not it", I turned to look at Shikamaru who leaned forward slightly.

"He keeps going on about these monstrous beings and I don't know what to think about it at all. I know that I asked you guys not to think bad about him, but after hearing myself say all of this out loud, it all sounds like words of a madman if you ask me", I felt utterly defeated.

With that, I rose to my feet and stretched, "In any case, I think it's about time for me to head back, " I yawned as my joints popped.

"How are you getting home?", Shikamaru asked as he also got to his feet, tossing his cigarette butt into the dying fire.

"Easy there, I've got cab fair", I smiled, feeling lighter than ever.

Naruto quite suddenly got to his feet, glancing back and forth between us, "That's it? I wanted to know more, you haven't even talked to me as much as you used to and now that you're finally talking, I don't want you to just go home and close yourself off again", he said.

"Easy, let him go at his own pace", Shikamaru looked at Naruto while I simply chuckled to myself as I picked up my bag and swung it over my shoulder.

"What so funny, ya bastard?", Naruto huffed.

"_Nothing, nothing_.. It's just that you guys are like the mother and father of the friend group", I said with my hands held up in defence as I began to walk backwards away from the clearing, still facing them with a smile.

"Hey, come back here and tell me who is the mother and who is the father!", Naruto called after me, shaking a fist though I simply shrugged with a smirk and turned around.

"Quiet down a bit, will you? I may have a big yard, but I still have neighbors", I heard Shikamaru whisper harshly, followed by a grunt from Naruto that was more than likely caused by an elbow to the gut from Shikamaru.

"Fine then, how about we just polish off the rest of these drinks, Daddy?"

"If you ever call me that again, I'm banning you from my place and unfriending you from my life"

"I was joking"

Their bantering went on until I could no longer hear it and I soon found myself breaking out of the line of trees and onto the pathway that led to the side of the house. I pulled out my phone and called a cab, shivering against the wind now that I was no longer near the warmth of the fire. I could see my breath as I spoke on the phone and thanked the lords that I had brought a thick sweater with me before I left.

It wasn't long until a cab arrived in Shikamaru's driveway and I got in while greeting the driver, "Just go down fifth until you reach the convenience store on 5ths and Betts avenue, then take a right all the way to the end by the park, please".

"Sure thing", I could hear the smile in his voice as he pulled out of the driveway and turned up the radio slightly.

I was thankful for the heat that was turned up full blast and it thawed out my feet in a way that the fire couldn't quite manage to do. A small chuckle made it's way to my ears and I glanced over at the driver, unsure if it came from him or not and I was taken aback by how young he was.

"Rough night?", He smiled, though my attention was locked on his unruly red hair that seemed to burn even lighter with every streetlight we passed under.

I shook my head slightly as I tore my gaze away from him and out the window, "Something like that..", I mumbled and glanced at his reflection in the sideview mirror; it was small and hardly visible at this angle, but I noticed that it had deepened.

If I had lived closer to Shikamaru, I would have made the choice to walk instead of taking a damn cab, because there was always this pressure to strike a conversation that lingered in the back of my head.

"So, how was your night?", I asked involuntarily while cursing under my breath. I was sure that he had heard, but he only seemed amused and I couldn't help but think that night shifts must have been damn boring.

"It was quite pleasant", He said as I watched him lightly tab the steering wheel with his pale fingers while he drove, "You're actually the first I've driven as I've only just started my shift."

"I see, well that's good..", I yawned as I gazed out the window once more, realizing we were almost half way home and I was appreciative over the fact that we didn't have to take the same long and boring route that public transit takes.

Now that would have been just painful.

"So, how is your brother doing?" He asked and I angrily scoffed at him.

"You too? God, I wish that people would stop asking me how he was-", I sobered, my hands suddenly clammed up and my lungs hitched as I forgot how to breathe.

"Earth to Sasuke", The driver said in a sing-song tune and I lunged for the door handle, however the locks clicked closed. "Hello? Hello?", he chanted over and over again; I wanted to scream but nothing would come out.

"Excuse me, sir? We've arrived, please wake up", I woke with a start, my automatic reaction was to recoil away from the hand that lightly tapped my shoulder and an odd, almost choked gasp escaped my lips.

"Sorry to startle you, but we're here", The driver said as we were parked just a few houses down from my own.

Disoriented, I pulled out my wallet with a furrowed brow, "Did.. Did I fall asleep?", I stuttered, a cold sweat beading on my forehead.

"Indeed you did, not long after you entered the vehicle", The driver laughed and held up his hand when I began to take money out of my wallet, "Keep your money, the ride wasn't very long and I didn't even turn on the meter."

I looked at the meter in disbelief as the number zero flashed proudly on the screen and I turned over to the man as I reached for the door, raising my brows when a thoughtful expression softened his features.

"Go on now, I didn't even know how to work the damn thing anyway", he waved his hand in the air as if to shoo me out and I simply shrugged, because let's face it. Anything that was free was an automatic yes for me.

Well, almost anything.

"If you insist..", I said quietly as I got out of the vehicle and closed the door, standing there as the driver rolled down the passenger window.

"Have yourself a good night", was all he said before he pulled off, leaving me standing at the side of the road in my drunken stupor, more confused than ever.

The splitting headache that had begun to manifest was immense and I walked the last two minutes it took me to get to my front lawn. The porch light had suddenly flared to life and I mentally prepared myself for Mother's waterworks, but it was an airy, monotonous voice that greeted me when the front door opened.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence", Itachi said as he stepped aside for me to enter the house, sniffing the air as I walked by, "You reek of bad decisions; Alcohol doesn't suite you, little brother."

"Oh, bite me", I gave him the finger and kicked off my shoes, not noticing the way he seemed to stiffen as he closed the front door and locked the deadbolt.

"Of all people to greet me, it just had to be you", I plopped down on the couch.

"_Of all people_, you say", Itachi repeated my words, "You're forgetting that _Father_ left and it is now only the three of us."

"More like Me, Mom, and all of your damn personalities", I spat, trying to pretend that what Itachi said hadn't stung.

Itachi leaned over the back of the couch, both of his eyes on me while he spoke, "Mother has a date with prince Valium tonight, so you won't be hearing from her any time soon."

"Did you drug her?", I scoffed, but Itachi didn't seem amused.

"I merely coaxed her into taking one after she refused to sleep and instead, chose to wait for her drunkard son to return home", Itachi said as he picked up a decorative pillow from the opposite end of the couch and threw it at my head.

"Now sleep", was all he said before he disappeared from my vision, his light footsteps fading as he returned to his bedroom upstairs.

I didn't even have the energy in me to react to anything that Itachi said anymore. Hell, I couldn't even process why he was being so caring towards me, but one thing that really got on my nerves, was coming to the realization that him and mother could talk. They had conversations while I wasn't around and as I lulled off into a dreamless sleep, I couldn't help but wonder just who the real Itachi was.

The Itachi that Mother saw,

Or the Itachi that I saw.

One thing that I knew for sure, was that both were equally as mentally exhausting as the other.

* * *

**[A/N:] Sorry for all the linebreaks, but I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review.**


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